The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu, has accused the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Mr. Maikanti Baru of insubordination, while he called for the cancellation of the recent appointments in the NNPC.
The Minister also alleged insubordination of Maikanti Baru, group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in a letter written to President Muhammadu Buhari
Here are the five allegations in the Minister of State for petroluem, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu’s letter to the President:
1. Northern agenda in oil ministry
The minister said he had been accused of working against the north and also influencing the appointments of some persons. He denied the allegations and described himself as a “completely detribalised Nigerian”.
2. Appointment in NNPC
The minister said he was not consulted in most of the appointments made by Baru. He said he learnt about them on social media or through press releases. Kachikwu explained that on one occasion, he held a meeting with the GMD to raise concerns about the appointments and also wrote a letter to him, but that Baru ignored him by making some changes without his involvement.
He appealed to the president to suspend these appointments.
Contracts award without due process
Kachikwu said against the rules, some major contracts were never reviewed or discussed with him or the board of NNPC. He listed some of the contracts as:
- The crude Term contracts- value at over $10bn
- The DSDP contracts – value over $5bn
- The AKK pipeline contract- value approximately $3bn
- Various financing allocation funding contracts with the NOCs- value over $3bn
- Various NPDC production service contracts- value at over $3bn-$4bn
3. Conspiracy with Militants
In response to the above allegation, Kachikwu said: “nothing, your excellency, can be further from the truth”.
“I mention this because this will be the likely response you will receive to this attempt I am making to alert you on the state of affairs under the GMD’s leadership,” he wrote.
“I have done nothing during my time at the NNPC or the ministry that is corrupt or laced with any such intent. Anyone peddling any contrary information is resorting to cheap blackmail.”
4. Image of The NNPC and oil Industry
Kachikwu said the public impression about the NNPC is that of corruption and in-transparency in its activities.
He appealed to the president to instruct the GMD to leave the NNPC to run as a proper institution and report out along due process lines to the board.
“Given the history of malpractice and the public perception of the NNPC as having a history of non-transparency, the NNPC Tenders Board (NTB) cannot be the final clearance authority for clearance it enters into,” he said.
5. Sidelining His Office
Kachikwu said since Baru’s assumption of office, he has failed to consult and carry him along in the activities of the corporation. He alleged that acts of misbehaviour by Baru were already hindering all the envisaged positive changes for the oil and gas sector.
