Suspend, probe Baru now CSJ tells Buhari  

Centre for Social Justice, CSJ has called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to immediately suspend the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Mr. Maikanti Baru and institute investigation on the various weighty allegations levelled against him by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources.

Reacting to the controversy generated by Kachikwu’s letter to the President, Lead Director of CSJ, Mr. Eze Onyekpere, described the allegations against Baru as weighty and should not be treated with kids’ gloves. He said, “These allegations are weighty and if they are true, constitute serious crimes and acts of economic sabotage against the Nigerian people and the economy. It would not be difficult to establish if NNPC has held board meetings since Dr Maikanti Baru’s tenure and if meetings have been so held, the agenda of such meetings, finding out the person(s) who took decisions on appointments that were contrary to laid down procedures would also not be difficult to establish.

“Coming at a time the administration is prosecuting a war against corruption and seeking to enforce due process in the management of national resources, it is imperative that these allegations are thoroughly investigated. If a prima facie case is established, the offender(s) should be prosecuted and the full weight of the law brought to bear on them. Therefore, President Muhammadu Buhari should rise to the occasion, in the national interest and ensure that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission moves expeditiously to investigate these weighty allegations; consider suspending the alleged official(s) from office to avoid tampering with evidence and sabotaging investigations.”

He noted that it is imperative that the extant allegation is not swept under the carpet, otherwise, he said, the morality of continued prosecution of persons accused of lesser economic and financial crimes would become a subject for serious questioning.
According to him, Nigeria has only one set of laws which should apply across board in accordance with the tenets of justice which demands equality before the law, equal protection of the law and treating like cases alike. “In the past, many Nigerians have alleged that the federal administration remains silent when serious allegations are made against its key officials. CSJ recalls the grass cutting scandal involving the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the benumbing silence following the submission of the report of the Committee headed by the Vice President to President MuhammaduBuhari.
“We hope that law enforcement and investigation agencies would live up to the demands of their statutory and constitutional mandates,” he maintained.

Meanwhile the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN has faulted Ibe Kachikwu letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, describing it as diversionary and ridiculous.
IPMAN, in a statement in Abuja, signed by its National Secretary, Mr. Danladi Pasali, said Kachikwu’s grouse was because the NNPC boss refused to be turned into an errand boy by the Minister.

He said, “We noticed some attempt to divert attention on the achievements so far recorded in the sector, with the recent letter written by the Minister of State of Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu and leaked to media as the latest one among them. IPMAN consider the said letter as another attempt to divert the attention on the successes achieved and an invitation of chaos to the already sanitised sector.

“In the said letter the minister accused the NNPC management of insubordination, which we considered this statement as very ridiculous. As his position as chairman of NNPC board, the minister should have resolve any internal issue at the board meeting, not to resort to media war.
“We are not surprised that Baru was accused of insubordination by the minister, because if the GMD has allowed himself to become an errand boy to the minister just as some of the past GMDs
did, he would not have been accused of such.”

The group called on the President to disregard any attempt to scuttle the achievements in the downstream oil sector especially now, as according to them, some politicians would want to resort to saboteurs as the election year is approaching. IPMAN reiterated its support for the NNPC boss, stating that the Baru-led administration had been carrying out outstanding reforms which helped sanitised the downstream oil sector. It said, “Part of the reforms that Dr Baru’s team are executing which became a nightmare to some stakeholders like the minister and some labour unions, include the efficiency in petroleum products supply, appointing technocrats into right positions and sanitising the importation of petroleum products which stabilised fuel supply in the country within the last two years.