The senate on Wednesday began investigation into allegations of insubordination and controversial appointments against the group managing director of Nigerian national petroleum corporation (NNPC), Maikanti Baru with the set up of a committee to investigate and report back with immediate effect.
In a leaked letter dated 30th august, 2017, minister of state for petroleum resources, Ibe Kachikwu accused Baru of insubordination and constantly undermining his office.
Kachikwu who doubles as the chairman NNPC board accused Baru of sidelining him and failing to adhere to due process and called for the cancellation of the recent appointments in NNPC.
Senates decision to probe the NNPC (GMD) was at the instance of senator Kabiru Marafa( Zamfara central) as it entertained a similar motion from senator Samuel Anyanwu asking it to probe allegations of corruption against nnpc trading.
Anyanwu who is the chairman, senate committee on public petitions, ethics and privileges alleged that Baru was involved in huge corruption, accusing him of using a panama-based company, duke oil as sole importer of oil and gas into Nigeria even when it lacks the capacity and credentials to trade internationally.
He said the arrangement leaves NNPC and by extension Nigeria badly shortchanged, pointing out that the country would have earned more if the process was open to indigenous companies.
In his contribution, senator Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf asked senate to carryout a holistic investigation of the
NNPC which he said operates like a country of its own.
Senate accepted the prayer to constitute an ad-hoc committee to investigate the policy introduced by the GMD of allocating all products to duke oil and also carry out a holistic investigation into the activities of NNPC trading limited as well as kachikwu’s allegations contained in the leaked memo.
