As the meeting between the Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibeh
Kachikwu, and President Muhammadu Buhari was on at the president’s
office Friday, the Group Managing Director the Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Maikanti Baru, who is accused of
corruption, also met with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, PREMIUM TIMES
has learnt.
The meeting between Messrs. Buhari and Kachikwu, which began at about 11: 40 a.m., lasted almost one hour.
The two men were expected to discuss the minister’s memo to the president accusing Mr. Baru of corruption and insubordination.
Mr. Kachikwu declined to speak to journalists after the closed-door meeting at the presidential villa.
However, shortly after Mr. Kachikwu left the presidential villa,
Mr.Baru was also sighted leaving the vice president’s wing, accompanied
by an aide who had some documents with him.
Mr. Baru met the Chief of Staff to the president, Abba Kyari, before heading to the office of the Vice President.
It is not clear what the NNPC boss discussed with Mr. Osinbajo, but
he headed straight to the Villa Mosque where he observed the jumu’at
prayer.
The petroleum minister accuses the NNPC boss of awarding multiple contracts amounting to about N9 trillion without due approval.