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Morocco World News/ Maghreb Intelligence
Rabat, April 16, 2012
During a meeting of the PJD provincial secretariat in Tangier, the minister of general affairs and good governance, Mr. Najib Boulif, stated that Morocco, in a very short time, will be a producer and exporter of oil and gaz.
The statement created a huge controversy and drew harsh comments from several circles. While Mr. Boulif’s revelation was corroborated by the Australian company that is drilling off the shores of Agadir, his declaration raised concerns among Morocco’s political higher ups.
In an effort to minimize any damage from the minister Boulif’s comment, the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM), through its general director and former minister of energy, Amina Benkhadra, indicated that it would take at least 8 to12 years to verify the assumption of the minister.
According to an undisclosed source, what bothered ONHYM most was not the revelation that there is oil in Morocco, but the manner in which it was announced. A non-formal partisan meeting is not the ideal place to announce such important news.Furthermore, “ONHYM did not think that minister Boulif was authorized to make such an announcement, and as such, he overstepped his bounds and violated the principle of governmental solidarity,” explains in anger a former istiqlalian minister.
It should be noted that the Ministry of Energy and Mines, in charge of oil exploration in Morocco, is led by the Istaqlalian Fouad Douiri.
Translated by Jaouad Maniani
