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25bn Contract : Kachikwu Keeps Mum After Meeting PMB

Published

7 years ago

October 6, 2017

President Muhammadu Buhari Friday met with Minister of State Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu at the Presidential Villa.

Kachikwu arrived the Villa at 11. 30am and spent close to two hours with the President in his office.

However, Kachikwu declined comments when accosted by State House Correspondents after the meeting and was escorted out of the building by the special adviser media to the president, Femi Adesina.

It would be recalled that Kachikwu,had accused the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Maikanti Baru, of alleged insubordination, due process abuse and maleficence leading to the award of contracts worth over $25 billion.

In the August 30, 2017 Memo to President Buhari, Kachikwu attributed the slow growth in the oil and gas sector to illegal practices by the departments and agencies under his ministry, especially the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) headed by the Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru.

He told President Buhari that the country’s petroleum industry would have recorded tremendous progress but for Baru’s alleged inactions.

Kachikwu who also presented five prayers to the President to save the oil sector from collapse said he was always being blocked from seeing the President.

He said he was disturbed that $25billion contracts were awarded by Baru without his input and that of the Board.