K.T. Hammond, Ex-Deputy Energy Minister under the Kufuor regime has accused President John Evans Atta Mills of playing petty politics. The president at a durbar of chiefs and people in parts of the Western Region on Tuesday said no political party should claim credit for the discovery of oil in commercial quantities. He attributed the discovery to divine providence. Oil was discovered in commercial quantities in 2007 during the reign of the NPP regime, but officials of the two major political parties in the country have disagreed over whose efforts led to the discovery. Supporters of the NDC attribute the discovery to what they say is the tireless work done by ex-Ghana National Petroleum Corporation boss, Tsatsu Tsikata, but the NPP disagrees. K.T. Hammond in an interview with Citi News said he is surprised at the president’s comments. Whilst agreeing it was God who deposited the oil on the ground, human intervention he said was needed for the discovery. He said the NDC from 1985-2000 had the opportunity to discover oil in commercial quantities but were only able to discover “a cup full” in the Saltpond basin largely due to poor management. He said the then government failed to concentrate on its core business of striking oil. On the contrary, he said the NPP worked assiduously towards discovering oil in commercial quantities. Their efforts, he said, led to the signing of the contract with Tullow oil in 2005 and the company discovered the oil in 2007. Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana