Resign as oil minister, suspend Baru and authorize full probe, Falana urges Buhari

As scandal continues to rock the petroleum ministry and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) following the leaked explosive memo of Ibe Kachikwu, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, on alleged major procedural breaches and acts of insubordination by Maikanti Baru, Group Managing Director (GMD) of NNPC, Femi Falana, human rights lawyer has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint a substantive petroleum minister in his place given his busy schedule, while also urging him to suspend Baru and authorize an investigation.

In his statement on Sunday, Falana said, “Having regard to the enormous responsibilities of the office of the Minister of Petroleum Resources and Chairman of the NNPC Board President Buhari is advised to relinquish the ministerial position in view of his busy schedule and appoint another Nigerian of proven integrity and competence to superintend the affairs of the Ministry.

“If this advice is accepted in good faith and acted upon without any delay it would remove undue pressure on the health of the President and allow him to attend to urgent matters of the state”.

Falana also called for major reorganization of the NNPC to improve representation and efficiency.

Read also: NNPC under security siege as Kachikwu, Baru feud lingers

Falana’s full statement reads, “The people of Nigeria were surprised last week to read the embarrassing petition of the Minister of State in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, addressed to President Buhari pertaining to his inability to consult with the President and substantive Minister of Petroleum Resources and the unilateral award of $25 billion contracts by Mr. Maikanti Baru, the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Although it was reported that Mr. Kachikwu has since been given access to the President the details of the discussions between the duo have been not been made public.

“However, apart from sanctioning the officers responsible for creating the wide gulf between Mr. Kachikwu and the President the allegation of the unilateral award of contracts worth $25 billion by Mr. Baru ought to be investigated in line with the anti-corruption policy of the Buhari administration.

“In order to conduct a thorough investigation into the grave allegations of the reckless contravention of the provisions of the Public Procurement Act Mr. Baru should be placed on indefinite suspension while the presidency should refer the case to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. And once it is confirmed that the said $25 billion contracts were awarded without the approval of the NNPC Board they should be revoked while the recent appointment of the heads of the parastatals in the oil and gas industry should be reviewed in line with the Constitution and the Federal Character Commission Act.

“Curiously, the presidency has demanded for the minutes of the meetings of the NNPC Board. This demand has confirmed that the meetings of the Board which are statutory required to be chaired by the Minister of Petroleum Resources have not been held as and when due. More importantly, the demand has corroborated that aspect of Mr. Kachikwu’s petition alleging that the powers of the Board have been usurped by Mr. Baru.

“Therefore, the petition should provide an opportunity for the President to reorganise the NNPC with a view to ensuring that it is publicly owned in a manner that the Board is constituted by accredited representatives of the oil producing communities and credible civil society groups including the trade unions in the oil and gas industry.

“Having regard to the enormous responsibilities of the office of the Minister of Petroleum Resources and Chairman of the NNPC Board President Buhari is advised to relinquish the ministerial position in view of his busy schedule and appoint another Nigerian of proven integrity and competence to superintend the affairs of the Ministry.

“If this advice is accepted in good faith and acted upon without any delay it would remove undue pressure on the health of the President and allow him to attend to urgent matters of the State.

 

RipplesNigeria… without borders, without fears

Click here to join the Ripples Nigeria WhatsApp group for latest updates.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now