Buhari Should Quit As Petroleum Minister – Falana

Meanwhile, President Buhari has been urged to quit his position as the nation’s petroleum minister in the interest of the country, the petroleum sector and his health.

Femi Falana, human rights lawyer and activist, handed down this demand in a statement on Sunday, while calling for a full-scale investigation into the allegation of unilateral award of contract to the tune of $25 billion by Maikanti Baru.

Falana further noted that for a thorough investigation into the grave allegation to be carried out, Baru must be suspended, while also urging the Federal Government to refer the issue to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

“Having regard to the enormous responsibilities of the Office of the Minister of Petroleum Resources and chairman of the NNPC board, President Muhammadu 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 said.

He regretted the situation at the NNPC, which led to the letter addressed to the president by Ibe Kachikwu.

“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.

“Although it was reported that Mr. Kachikwu has since been given access to the president, the details of the discussions between the duo have 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.”