Minister of state for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu petitions President Buhari over NNPC GMD’s ‘insubordination and illegalities"

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources has written a petition to President Buhari over what he terms the “insubordination and illegalities” of the group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Maikanti Baru.

In the petition letter dated 30th August and titled “Matters of Insubordination and Lack of Adherence To Due Process Perpetuated by GMD NNPC-Dr. Baru”, Kachiukwu complained about postings within the NNPC that was done without his knowledge as the supervising minister.

He also accused Baru of “completely eroding” some of the reforms he introduced as head of the oil firm. Recall that President Buhari appointed Kachikwu as NNPC GMD in August 2015 but replaced him with Baru in July 2016.

“Like the previous reorganisations and repostings done since Mr Baru resumed as GMD, I was never given the opportunity before the announcements to discuss these appointments. This is so despite being the minister of state petroleum and chairman, NNPC board.

The board of NNPC which you appointed and which has met every month since its inauguration, and which by the NNPC is meant to review these planned appointments and postings, was never briefed.

Members of the board learnt of these appointments from the pages of social media and the press release of NNPC. Indeed, in anticipation of vacancies that would arise from retiring senior executives of NNPC, I wrote the GMD a letter requesting that we both have prior review of the proposed appointments. Not only did he not give my letter the courtesy of a reply, he proceeded to announce the appointments without consultation on board concurrence. Mr President, please note that there is a board service committee whose function is to review potential appointment and termination of senior staff prior to implementation.

This committee was also not consulted. The open administration I introduced with your support in our year of pushing reforms, has been completely eroded.

NNPC staff are afraid of contacting me for the fear of being punished, sidelined in appointments and targeted. The effect of the attitude of the GMD and the sidelining of the board is that there is a fear culture in NNPC.”the petition reads He called on President Buhari to, among other things, save the NNPC and the oil industry from collapse arising from lack of transparency instituted by the NNPC Group MD. He also appealed to President Buhari to save his office from further humiliation and disrespect by compelling all parastatals under it to submit to oversight mandate and proper supervision, which he was appointed to manage on the President’s behalf. He equally urged President Buhari to instruct Dr. Baru to allow NNPC run properly and report along due process lines to the Board.

The Minister also called on President Buhari to set the right examples by suspending the recently made appointments in the NNPC and encourage joint presentation meetings between heads of parastatals and the Minister of State to him (President) as a way of encouraging better work ethic and ensuring discipline.