Alleged NNPC scam: Kachikwu Keeps Mum After Close Door Meeting With Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari and Ibe Kachikwu, Minister of State for Petroleum, have decided to keep mum on the outcome of their close door meeting

Kachikwu, who arrived the State House at about 11:40 am for the meeting declined comments when approached by State House Correspondents.

The closed door meeting which lasted about 1hour and 20minutes, came on the heel of his allegations of insubordination and humiliation against Maikanti Baru, Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Kachikwu claimed that the NNPC boss had repeatedly sidelined and disrespected the board of the national oil firm, which is chaired by the minister of state.

According to a memo that was leaked to the media, Kachikwu had informed Buhari that Baru unilaterally approved the award of contracts worth over $25 billion without any approval from the NNPC board.

This came a day after the NNPC announced a massive shakeup which affected 55 management staff, and Kachikwu said neither he nor the board had any idea about the appointments, stressing that it wasn’t the first time changes would be made without the board’s input.

“It is in the spirit of service and absolute belief in your leadership and integrity that I have, after one year of tolerating these disrespectful and humiliating conducts by the GMD, decided to bring these to your attention,” Kachikwu wrote.He called on the President to intervene and “save the office of the Minister of State from further humiliation and disrespect by compelling all parastatals to submit to oversight regulatory mandate and proper supervision”.