Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, has condemned the leakage to the public of a memo he wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari about the conduct of Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Maikanti Baru.
Kachikwu had in the memo accused Baru of effecting changes in personnel at the NNPC without recourse to NNPC board or the ministry.
The minister, who also chairs the NNPC board, said the body has statutory duties to review appointments and postings by the state-run oil firm before they take effect.
He added that he suffered “disrespectful and humiliating conducts” from Baru and that efforts to have a one-on-one appointment with the president at the State House were unsuccessful.
Kachikwu, however, became distressed after the letter went viral on social media.
He expressed his displeasure in a statement in Abuja by Director, Press Relations, in the ministry Idang Alibi.
“The attention of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources has been drawn to a publication on a memo emanating from the ministry,” the memo begins.
”Please note the following: the communication under reference is a normal procedural correspondence by the minister to the President relating to developments in parastatals under his supervision.
”It is most distressing to the ministry of petroleum resources that a confidential communication to the President on the performance of one of its parastatals can be made public.
”The focus of the communication was on improving efficiency and deepening transparency in the oil and gas sector for continued investor-confidence.
”It is noteworthy that the President has been fully supportive of the efforts of the ministry to entrench good governance and accountability in the oil and gas sector.
”The ministry of petroleum resources remains focused on achieving measurable progress in the implementation of the ongoing oil sector reforms in line with the mandate of the president.”
