Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, is currently in a meeting with President Muhammdu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
Kachikwu arrived the villa at about 11:33 a.m. and headed to Buhari’s office at the villa for the meeting.
The meeting came a few days after Mr. Kachikwu a letter he to President Buhari leaked to the media.
In the letter dated August 30, Kachikwu accused the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Maikanti Baru, of practices that could jeopardise the Federal Government’s policies aimed at repositioning the petroleum industry.
Kachikwu complained to the President that Mr. Baru approved $26 billion contracts without due process.
Kachikwu alleged that the GMD has ran the corporation like a one man show”. I learn of transactions only through publications in the media”.
A copy of the letter which is making the rounds on the Internet indicates that the minister is also unhappy with the manner recent changes in the NNPC were handled and accused Dr. Baru of insubordination and humiliation of the board.
Dated a day after the NNPC announced a massive shakeup which affected 55 management staff, the Minister said it wasn’t the first time changes would be made without the Board’s input.
“When I call for meetings, the GMD Baru chooses which meetings he wishes to attend and those he chooses to send subordinates, he sends those subordinates without courtesy of a call to explain his absence”.
“At inception I instituted a monthly Parastals review meeting with Head of Agencies and another with the oil senior management in all parastatals, the GMD objected to his senior staff coming to the joint senior management meetings”.
“He argued that this was overreaching his territory, I have tried to manage the bad perception created by GMD’s blatant insubordination and disrespectful attitude, I have worked hard to avoid being seen as petty and meddlesome.
“In order to convince your Excellency to sideline me, I am sure I have been labeled as being, anti-north, corrupt and in collusion with militants,” Kachikwu said in the letter.
