Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, Minister of State for Petroleum, had at the end of the meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday over the allegation of $25 billion contract awarded by the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Maikanti Baru, declined comment confronted by the media team at the Presidential Villa on his way out
Kachikwy had arrived the Presidential Villa around 11:33 am for the meeting.
The meeting between President Buhari, who hold the portfolio of the Minster of Petroleum, and the Minister of State for Petroleum lasted for about 1 hour and 20 minutes. The meeting was held behind closed doors.
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Kachikwu declined to make any comment after the meeting with the President which had raised questions concerning the issues affecting the Board which he chairs and the Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Maikanti Baru.
The meeting with the President comes after the Minister expressed sadness over the recent changes in the NNPC and accusing Dr. Baru of humiliating him and the board.
This follows 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.
“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,” the Minister 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” which he is supposed to manage on the President’s behalf.