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Tag: President Muhammadu Buhari

  • Edo pensioners resume street protest

    Edo pensioners resume street protest

    Pensioners in Edo State on Monday resumed their street protest to demand for the payment of their pension arrears and gratuity.

    The protesting pensioners wore red attires and caused heavy vehicular traffic in Benin City by blocking the popular Oba Ovoramwen Square (Ring Road).

    They sang solidarity and derogatory songs as well as they prayed to God to intervene on their behalf.

    Spokesman of the protesters, Barr. Gabriel Osemwekhai, said they resumed their protest because Governor Godwin Obsseki was not prepared to use the Paris Club refund money to pay their pension arrears and gratuity.

    Gabriel said they have protested severally in the past and the state government failed to listen to them.

    He said the pensioners were owed between five and 42 months pension arrears, gratuity for local government pensioners from 2008 till date and that the state pensioners were owed gratuities from 2012 till date.

    On claims by the state government that N220m was paid to pensioners, he said the money was paid from statutory allocation to the local government areas.

    “The latest development is that we have not heard from the government. We have protested times without number. This is the 13th time we are coming out to protest in respect of the non-profit of our arrears and gratuity.

    “As a matter of fact, the money is available, it has been given to the State government to be disbursed to pensioners and ever since the money came, Edo state Governor has kept mute, he has been so silence over the disbursement. He has never given a dime to pensioners from the Paris Club refund.

    “That is the money the federal government brought with specific instructions that it should pay all arrears and gratuity. But this man has paid dear ears. We don’t know if it is because he is Governor of the ruling party. We don’t know if that is why he has remained obstinate.

    “President Muhammadu Buhari himself called all the traditional rulers when he returned from his sick leave. He told them that he is disappointed with some Governors. Our own Governor is the only one who has not come out to say this is how much am going to bring out for the pensioners.

    “It is the two months monthly pension he is owing them. The amount for one month is N220 million, and he paid for two months successively. But he did not brought out any money from the Paris Club refund.”

  • Deliberate falsehood won’t win you 2019 – APC tells PDP

    Deliberate falsehood won’t win you 2019 – APC tells PDP

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Sunday told the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that it should rethink its strategies of returning to power in 2019 as deliberate falsehood will not help it attain its mission.

    The party said that Nigerians are not gullible and can differentiate between a party that  brought the country to where it is today and the Party clearing the rot and rebuilding the country.

    Reacting to a statement credited to the PDP about the President’s request borrow about $5.5 billion loan, the party in a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi said the PDP must wake up to new the realities that the days of borrowing to pay salaries and fund bogus projects are long gone.

    It reminded the PDP that the loan being requested by the President was to fund specific projects that will boast the nation’s infrastructural development, adding that the loan is meant to be used to fund the budget deficit in the 2017 budget.

    The statement reads: “In reacting to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) recent statement on the plan by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to obtain a $5.5 billion foreign loan, the All Progressives Congress (APC) urges the PDP to wake up to new realities that the days of borrowing to pay salaries and fund bogus projects are long gone.

    “In developing economies, governments typically resort to borrowing to finance economic development projects because taxation and other revenue streams may not necessarily provide sufficient funds for economic development.

    “The recent borrowing plans proposed by the President Buhari administration is no different as the President has clearly stated in his request to the National Assembly that the loan will be used to finance the 2017 budget deficit and invest in critical and verifiable infrastructure project which will ultimately grow the economy.

    “The PDP in its statement unapologetically claimed that it “meritoriously” governed the country for 16 years and “handed over a buoyant economy to the APC in 2015’’. Really, what could be further from the truth? The APC considers the claim a new height of PDP’s insensitivity to the populace and has further exposed the PDP as a Party unrepentant for the rot it left the country after its 16 years rule.

    “Even when crude sold above $100, the immediate past PDP-led administration struggled to build savings. In addition, the excess crude account was misspent. Poor capital expenditure meant badly-needed infrastructural development was put on hold. This forced construction companies with government contracts to cut back and sack thousands of workers.

    “Nigerians will sadly recall how in the leadup to President Buhari’s assumption of office, former finance minister and coordinating minister of the economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in May 2015, revealed that Nigeria was borrowing to pay government salaries.

    The former Minister had said that “Out of the N882 billion budgetary provision for borrowing, the government has borrowed 473 billion naira to meet up with recurrent expenditure, including salaries and overheads.”

    “On April 2016, Okonjo-Iweala who served as finance minister under President Olusegun Obasanjo between 2003 and 2006 and again under President Goodluck Jonathan between 2011 and 2015 also blamed the country’s present economic situation on the zero political will of the immediate past government to save for the rainy day.

    “Today, successive national budgets of the APC administration has prioritised and increased budgetary allocation for capital projects as one of the strategic ways to stimulate economic growth in the country.

    “The economy has started responding to policy initiatives of the government as evidenced in the improvement and stability of the naira exchange rate; increase in the country’s foreign reserves and the recent announcement by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) that the country has officially come out of recession.

    “The borrowing plan of the President Buhari-led administration is inevitable in view of the current economic realities in the country. As stated in the president’s loan request to the National Assembly, the loan will be invested in infrastructure projects such as the Mambilla Hydropower Project, Construction of a Second Runway at the Nnamdi Azikiwe international Airport, counterpart funding for Rail projects and the construction of the Bodo-Bonny Road, with a Bridge across the Opobo Channel.

    “If the PDP thinks that by spewing falsehood and unsubstantiated claims, the party will return to power in 2019, then the PDP needs to seriously rethink its strategies.

    Nigerians are not gullible and can differentiate between a Party who brought the country to where it is today and the Party clearing the rot and rebuilding the country.

    “As the National Assembly considers the proposed borrowing plan submitted by the President, the APC calls on members of the Senate and House of Representatives to rise above sundry sentiments and approve the request which is pro-people and in the overall best interest of the country.”

  • Buhari, Nwodo meet in Aso Rock over Southeast problems 

    Buhari, Nwodo meet in Aso Rock over Southeast problems 

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday met with John Nwodo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Speaking with State House correspondences at the end of the meeting, Nwodo said that the meeting centred on how to find solutions to the problems in the Southeast.

    He said “We had a frank and robust exchange, we discussed problems of the south east and as head of state he is the finale repository of an appeal for the resolutions of those problems. We went into great details about each of those problems and i have confidence that they will give it the attention there deserve.

    “We dealt with problems of development in the south east; basic capital projects which have for a very long time been neglected not just from this government but for a very long time, major arteries of federal highways in the south east have been in complete state of disrepair. Enugu-Onitsha, Enugu-Port Harcourt, Aba-Ikoyi Ekpene are virtually impassable.

    “We talked about the inland waterways and the dredging of the River Niger. We talked about the reticulation of gas pipeline on the south east. We export gas from the south east to the other parts of the country, but there is no reticulation of the pipeline and industrial clusters in the south east.

    “We talked about the only international airport we have in the south east which has very bad infrastructure in terms of the buildings that have ravaged by …

    “We got assurance from the president that he will deal with each of those problems.” he said

    On whether the issue of marginalization came up, he said “That was the opening line and that was why we single out these things. Like I have said these problems have been there overtime and we have had several presidents, it didn’t just happen in the last two years. But we expressed the desire that he should be able to address them.

    Asked if the president’s promises can be trusted, he said “There is no reason for me to doubt them because this is the first time I have had this interaction with him. I have the feeling that he spoke to us very frankly.

    When asked if the issue of the indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) came up, he said “We came here for the issues of developments in our place. We talked about IPOB as a symptomatic consequence of the continuous marginalization of the south east over a long period of time.

    “Understandably our children are restive and we want to make sure that the federal government is responsive to the issues that have cumulated in the quintessence of these agitations,” he said.

    On devolution of powers, he said “We did talk about the issue of devolution of powers, the constitution, the paucity of the states and local governments in our place and the president has asked that he be given time to look at this more holistically.”

     

  • Buhari mourns tragic loss of students in Kaduna

    Buhari mourns tragic loss of students in Kaduna

    President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed sadness over the news of the tragic death of some students of Victory College, Ungwan Yelwa, Kaduna, who drowned in River Kaduna while on an excursion.

    According to a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina, President Buhari’s thoughts and prayers are with the distraught families of the deceased and the management of the College, and he expresses heartfelt condolences to the Government and people of Kaduna State, during this difficult time.

    Read Also: South East will benefit more from road, rail projects – Buhari

    The President prayed that God will comfort families and friends affected by the profound loss of these young minds, and he wishes speedy recovery to other staff and students, who are in shock over the unfortunate incident.

     

  • Buhari not opposed to restructuring, but disintegration, says Adesina 

    Buhari not opposed to restructuring, but disintegration, says Adesina 

    The Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina, on Friday maintained that President Muhammadu Buhari is not opposed to restructuring.

    He made the clarification in Abuja while speaking at the 8th Annual Lecture Series of the Change We Need Nigeria Initiative.

    It was theme ‘Disintegration or Restructuring: Which Way Nigeria?’

    He said “The topic of today Disintegration or Restructuring: Which way Nigeria, is topical, german, is current. But then I have my own opinion about the topic.

    “When we talk of restructuring we don’t necessarily need  to accompany it with disintegration. Because we can talk restructuring without falling apart.

    “In the history of Nigeria there was a time when the various people and communities lived in this space that is today called Nigeria. And then the colonial masters came, formed what is called the northern protectorate, southern protectorate, that was restructuring of what has subsisted.

    “And then in 1914 precisely, the northern and southern protectorate, were amalgamated into one country, that was another restructuring. Did it come with any saber-rattling or did it send the country into tailspin, no.

    “And then we we got to a point that we had regionalism in the country, the regions were formed and we begin to grow, that was another restructuring, it happened almost altrusively and each region begin to work on its own pace.

    “Eventually Independence came. Independence came we had parliamentary system at the beginning and we continue to grow.

    “Today, we have a presidential system of government that is another form of restructuring from parliamentary to presidential.

    And then there was a time we had a unitary system when the then Gen. Ironsi tried to formalize through the unification decree.

    “We have a unitary system which to a large extent still subsist in the country, its a form of restructuring. Don’t forget there was a point in this country we had diayache   – president Babangida was at the center and the civilian governors were in the state, another form of restructuring. Did we disintegrate? No, we didn’t.

    “Nigeria has always restructured. There was a time we had 12 states, and then at a point it became 19 and then to 36 states, that is restructuring.

    “Then why must restructuring then be accompanied with saber-rattling? It is restructuring or disintegration that is what I disagree with.

    “Restructuring will come, this country will be renegotiated, restructured but then we will not disintegrate.

    “I begin to get suspicious times that is this call for restructuring another form of opposition? When you found people who have been in power for 16 years now being champions of restructuring, so I begin to suspect that restructuring is becoming another form of opposition in Nigeria.

    “Nigeria l will eventually be restructured. This Government is not opposed to restructuring but the government is opposed to anything that will splinter the country.

    “We will get to where we are going on restructuring and Nigeria remain one united indivisible entity. That is my thought. And from the first paper I have heard I know this issue will be dissected properly today and at the end we will come up with something that is pragmatic, something that is not emotive, something that is not knee jack, something that can take this issue and clamour for restructuring forward.” he stated

    The Spokesperson of Afenifere Group, Yinka Odumakin, stressed that Nigeria has it is today is in terminal crises.

    He said “Nigeria is currently careering dangerously to the edge of the precipice because we have erected our super structure on a wrong sub-structure. This is at the core of the call for the restructuring of the country so that we can return to the spirit of federalism in the 1960 and 1963 constitutions that our founding fathers negotiated.”

    According to him, the expression ‘Nigeria’s unity non-negotiate’ which is always used to reply calls for restructuring, have missed the whole concept of nationhood.

    “There is nothing that is settled in the life of any nation. A nation is like any living thing that grows and therefore a daily dialogue.

    “It is therefore my considered view that the whole idea of non-negotiability of Nigerian unity only developed on the strength of keeping the rents from oil from Niger Delta and proceeds from Lagos and VAT. It has nothing to do with the love of the union beyond reaping without sowing.

    Stressing on the need to restructure in order to avoid disintegration, he said that Nigeria will blossom and prosper when the rights of the nationalities within it are recognized.

    The government, he said, should desire to build a centre that coordinates rather than being overlords.

    He said “Our exclusive list must become leaner. We need a central government and federating units that are coordinates and not a colonizing centre and vassal states.

    “The resources that are under the soul of each section of the country must belong to it and agreed percentage should go to the government of the federation. We must move away from a rental and indolent economy to a productive economy where every section of the country becomes a productive centre.

    “We have the capacity to generate a N50 trillion economy annually as against the current N6 trillion we are killing ourselves over.

    “We would have no choice than turning our huge population to human capital as against beggars and destitute who are just numbers.

    “This is the spirit of the over 600 resolutions reached at the 2014 National Conference which had the best of Nigerians.

    “But if we remain obstinate and refuse to address the structures of Nigeria, we risk the fate that befell the USSR, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia, they have all disappeared from the World map. Let that not be the fate of Nigeria.” he said

    The Lead Discussant at the event and General Overseer of the Charismatic Renewal Ministry (CRM), Dr. Cosmas Ilechukwu, blamed the incursion of the military into Nigeria’s politics.

    He said “The aftermath of the military incursion into political leadership is value somersault, cultural disorientation, economic bastardization, and political rascality.

    “Nigerian military laid the foundation of most of what has become our governance culture today. They introduced executive impunity that shows no regard for the pronouncement of legitimate courts of law or to the court of public opinion.” he added

    Stressing that Nigeria has been held captive under an obnoxious unitary system of government for 51 years,  he called for immediate convocation of a Constituent Assembly as a way forward.

    Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, who was represented by Hon. Godwin Adindu, disagreed with the position that the opposition parties are behind calls for restructuring.

    “Nigeria needs it and that is the position of my governor,” he said.

    Besides supporting creation of state police, he urged the Federal Government to convene a meaningful and open dialogue.

    On her part, Hon. Nkoyo Toyo, said that the calls for restructuring are not peculiar to Nigeria.

    According to her, the country as it is now is only working for few people.

    Noting restructuring is a complex process, she said that it would be too much for National Assembly to handle.

    She said that a body should be established to handle it.

  • Minister lauds Armed Forces for defeating Boko Haram

    Minister lauds Armed Forces for defeating Boko Haram

    The Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali Thursday commended personnel of the Nigerian Armed Forces for the sacrifice they made to ensure the return of peace in the northeast of the country.

    According to him the armed forces laboured day and night under very harsh conditions with some paying the supreme price to bring the deadly activities of the Boko Haram insurgents to an end.

    He said it was therefore incumbent on Nigerians to appreciate and support the gallantry and sacrifices of members of the Armed Forces by supporting their welfare especially the fallen heroes.

    The Minister spoke with reporters in Abuja to herald the activities lined up for the 2018 Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebration.

    Dan-Ali noted that the relative peace being enjoyed in the northeast was as a result of the sacrifices of men and women of the Armed forces.

    He said: “They have laboured day and night under very harsh conditions. Some have paid the supreme price , others have been permanently incapacitated, while others are missing in action,”he said, why appealing to the public for assistance for the fallen heroes.

    “On our part, the Federal Government and the Ministry of Defence under my watch will continue to be proactive in attending to their welfare needs.”

    He  said the event would afford Nigerians and foreign nationals working in the country the opportunity to support the families of fallen heroes with donations and other welfare assistance.

    “The ministry is assessing a proposal to make informed decisions that will enhance the welfare of our veterans. The Military Pension Board had continued to deliver on regular pensions for military retirees,”he said.

    The minister warned that the ministry would not tolerate sharp practices in pension administration process, adding that the military health insurance scheme was extended to the retirees and their families.

    “The health insurance scheme has continued to impact positively on the health status of our veterans and their families,”he said.

    Activities lined up for the event include:launch of the Emblem by President Muhammadu Buhari on Oct. 25 at the National Cenotaph, religious services and laying of wreath.

  • 2018 budget goes to NASS this month – budget minister

    2018 budget goes to NASS this month – budget minister

    The Executive has concluded plans to submit the 2018 budget to the National Assembly before the end of this month.

    This disclosure was made by the minister of state for Budget and National Planning Hajia Zainab Mohammed at a press briefing to mark the end of the 23rd Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja on Thursday.

    Hajia Mohammed said the prepared 2018 budget will be presented to President Muhammadu Buhari shortly for the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approval before the budget is finally transmitted to the National Assembly.

    “We are working closely with the legislature. We want to ensure the budget is passed in December so that it start to work from January 2018” she said.

    Zainab Mohammed who was silent on when the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) will be presented to the National Assembly said she was optimistic that the 2018 budget will passed in time to meet the January commencement of the fiscal year as planned.

    The MTEF is supposed to be submitted to the legislature months before the budget but with the minister’s revelation that the budget will be submitted this month, it is unclear if the budgeting process will not be thrown into another controversy.

    The MTEF is supposed to guide the legislators in passing the main budget and pointing them in the general direction of government’s fiscal activities for the coming three years.

    Speaking on the power sector tariff crisis, Zainab Mohammed stated that “it is clear no new investor will come without tidying the issue tariff adjustment. They insist the current tariff is not sustainable but the new tariff will be a joint agreement with all stakeholders.”

    The Federal Government she said: “will carry out another privatisation exercise for the power sector because what we sought to achieve by the previous privatisation has not been achieved. It has not worked well.”
    According to her, “government is still a shareholder in the current arrangement and so we want to call all existing stakeholders to the table and agree on way forward. We will agree on the level of shareholding and other issues so that this power issue can be addressed once and for all.”

    Power she said “is key to economic development and it is something the government is determined to ensure it works.”

    On private sector players’ worry that government heavy local borrowing has crippled banks’ ability to lend to them, the Minister said “the government will reduce local borrowing for private sector to get adequate credit to operate.”
    Regarding recommendations aggregated for the successful execution of the government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), she said: “We will review them and we have said the functional economic laboratories will be set up across the country in two weeks from now. We are not waiting for months. It is part of the recommendations.”An issue that generated a lot talk at the summit was the multitude of bills pending before the National Assembly which if passed will accelerate economic growth. Zainab Mohammed on her part said “there are pending bills and we always try to carry out economic impact on them. For instance, the Competition Bill has the capacity to create 381,000 jobs annually, generate revenue of N148.3 billion yearly. It will also lead to a 10 per cent reduction in price of goods.”

    “For the National Transportation Commission Bill, it will also boost job creation and government revenue”.

    Despite these positive outlook, the bills have been pending in both chambers of the National Assembly for years.

  • Buhari congratulates Mustapha over UN Refugee award

    Buhari congratulates Mustapha over UN Refugee award

    President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Mr Zannah Mustapha on winning the United Nations(UN) HCR Nansen Refugee Award for 2017.

    According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina, the President felicitated with Mustapha on this well-deserved international recognition for his outstanding works on education, peace, reconciliation and stability in the North-East of the country.

    Buhari believed that Mustapha, who has inspired many Nigerians as well as national and international humanitarian organisations, earned the award because of his courage, hard work and extraordinary commitment to the welfare of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the country, even at the risk of his life.

    The President enjoined all Nigerians to emulate the conscientious dedication of a compatriot, who has deployed his God-given talent, time and resources to make life better for those in dire need.

  • More communities benefit from amnesty programme

    The Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Niger Delta Affairs, Brig-Gen. Paul Boroh (rtd) has noted that the amnesty programme should be a collective responsibility of every Nigerian.

    According to him, the scheme ought to have been formulated as a policy of the Federal Government since the past 50 years.

    Gen. Boroh, however, praised President Buhari for showing greater commitment to finding workable solutions to various problems in the Niger Delta region.

    Speaking to reporters in Akure, the Ondo State capital shortly after receiving an award of the ‘Niger Delta Peace Ambassador’ bestowed on him by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Ondo State chapter, Boroh said the scheme had impacted on the lives of over five million people, particularly in the region.

    The presidential aide said due to the current peace initiative in the Niger Delta communities, oil production had increased to 2.3 million barrels per day.

    He said efforts were on to provide projects such as provision of treated water for the people’s consumption, stressing that most of the people in the creeks have no toilet facilities, hospitals and other basic needs.

    His words: “We will touch the lives of people in the oil-bearing communities. They need to feel the impact of the Federal Government mostly in all the small communities of the Niger Delta.

    “The amnesty programme came due to conflicts. It is a very expensive scheme; we need peace, stability and development in the Niger Delta as a long and short measure of development”.

    The retired military officer said the amnesty programme focused mainly on human capacity development to allow infrastructural development as against’ mathematical’ solution, stressing that peace efforts cannot be measured.

    Boroh noted that his appointment had afforded him the opportunity to feel the pulse of the people, particularly those in the Niger Delta axis.

    He described the honour of Peace Ambassador bestowed on him by Ondo NUJ as a great challenge to prove his worth, even as he urged the media to partner with the scheme to sustain peace in the Niger Delta in particular and Nigeria in general.

  • Presidency backs Baru

    Presidency backs Baru

    • NNPC on oil deals: no process breached

    Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Ibe Kachikwu’s future was hanging in the balance yesterday.

    President Muhammadu Buhari is said to be weighing options on Dr Kachikwu’s fate, following his allegations against Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru.

    Specifically, Kachikwu alleged that Baru

    • awarded $25b contracts unilaterally;
    • ran a bravado management; and
    • made appointments without consultations.

    It was learnt that having found Baru not guilty of corrupt practices, the Presidency gave the GMD the clearance to release a fact-sheet in the matter to the public.

    Kachikwu is said to be consulting his associates, stakeholders and colleagues on his next move. He has been cautioned against any act capable of being seen as confrontational, according to a source, who pleaded not to be named because of “the sensitivity of the matter”.

    Kachikwu’s associates, it was learnt, cited the travails of ex-Minister of Petroleum Resources Prof. Tam David-West’s rough deals with the military administration of ex-President Ibrahim Babangida.

    One of the alternatives being suggested by his friends is the possibility of voluntary exit from the cabinet “to preserve his integrity”. It was not clear last night the step Kachikwu would take after it was clear that the Presidency might have backed Baru.

    The GMD of NNPC described the $25billion contract figure raised by Kachikwu as “humongous” because “no money was lost and no process has been breached.”

    The President, The Nation learnt, felt scandalised by “unfounded allegations of corruption bordering on phantom $25billion contracts”.

    The allegations allegedly attracted concerns from other nations and some oil producing countries.

    President Buhari, who is said to have felt hurt, by the development, “refused to act on the spur of the moment because his image and the reputation of his administration were involved”.

    A top government source said: “The Presidency directed the GMD of NNPC to provide facts and figures, which it got from Baru.

    “Thereafter, the NNPC Act, the NNPC Handbook and Public Procurement Act were consulted on the responses of Baru to find out if infractions were committed by the corporation.

    “Having been convinced that there were no infractions, the Presidency then directed NNPC to lay the cards on the table for Nigerians to see and judge.

    “What was uppermost in the responses of the GMD was the fact that ‘there was no evidence of sharp practices, bribery, looting of funds and diversion of transaction cash’.

    “The allegations of Kachikwu were rated as ‘wild, intentional and political in nature’ against the administration he is serving.”

    It was learnt that the President met with Kachikwu last Friday to “be fair to the Minister and for record purposes”.

    A Presidency source, who  spoke in confidence with our correspondent, said: “The President has not spoken on the next action. No one knows his mindset.”

    Yesterday’s statement by the NNPC, which  was described as  an “assault” on Kachikwu by some of his associates, fuelled minister’s thoughts on his Option B which he did not state.

    Some of Kachikwu’s confidants have, however, cautioned against any “hasty” decision, given the travails of a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Prof. Tam David-West, during the military regime of ex-President Ibrahim Babangida.

    A highly-placed stakeholder said: “I am aware that the minister has been holding consultations and telling some vital players in the oil sector what transpired.

    “Of importance to him is the allegation of alleged plot to sabotage the government of President Buhari with the leakage of the August 20 memo. He has maintained his innocence that he did not leak the letter.

    “But it is tragic that no one believes Kachikwu’s story anymore in the Presidency.”

    The GMD yesterday dismissed the allegations of award of contracts without regard to due process as “unfounded” and “unfortunate”.

    He described the $25billion contract figure raised by Kachikwu as “humongous” because “no money was lost and no process has been breached”.

    He explained that as a former chairman of the NNPC Anti-Corruption Committee, he would be the last person to breach the procurement process by disregarding extant laws and rules.

    The GMD said the NNPC Act and the Public Procurement Act vested procurement powers in the NNPC Tenders Board, the President and the Federal Executive Council (FEC), depending on the cost threshold.

    He said the NNPC Board had no role whatsoever in the process.

    He said: “I know for those of you who are following what we are doing here, you know that there’s no money lost and no process has been breached.”

    Baru made his views known while receiving the National President of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Comrade Francis Johnson, PENGASSAN members and members of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).

    The leaders of the unions were on a solidarity visit to Baru.

    The unions’ visit came on the heels of the controversy sparked by Kachikwu’s letter to the President alleging non-adherence to due process by the Management of NNPC in some contract administration.

    Baru said: “Our contracting process is perfect and we will continue to follow the process. The NNPC Board has no role, I repeat, has no role as far as the contracting process is concerned.

    Baru said the NNPC Tenders Board was made up of the GMD as Chairman and the Group Executive Directors as members.

    On the crude term contract and the DSDP agreements, he said: “These are not contract as such; they are essentially pre-qualification of off-takers of crude oil and in the case of DSDP, of those that will take crude and give us products in return. So there is no value to them.

    “But humongous figures have been put forward mainly to incite the public, it is most unfortunate”.

    On the allegation of lop-sided promotions, the GMD asked the union leaders if their members felt disenchanted to which the unionists chorused a resounding “no”.

    He urged the union leaders to enlighten their members on the facts and encourage them to go about their duties without distraction.

    Comrade Johnson said the unions’ support for the GMD was based on his ability to walk his talk since assuming office last year.

    “The National body of PENGASSAN and all the NNPC in-house unions are here today to show our support for you. You have brought stability to the NNPC and we are happy today that staff morale is high. You were Chairman of NNPC Anti-Corruption Committee for over five years and that was what informed your appointment as GMD of NNPC. Today, all the bullets you are taking are on behalf of members of staff. We will continue to pray for you, God will continue to guide and shield you,” Comrade Johnson assured.

    The PENGASSAN President called on Nigerians to be cautious of their comments on the controversy, adding that any wrong information was capable of discouraging investors from the oil and gas industry which is the highest foreign exchange earner.

    The NNPC Group Chairman of PENGASSAN, Comrade Sale Abdullahi, who also spoke during the visit to the GMD, stated that their concern had to do with the need to protect not only the GMD but the NNPC as an institution.

    He noted that Dr. Baru had streamlined the processes and procedures in the Corporation leading to the full restructuring which was beginning to yield positive results.

    “Today, the GMD and NNPC Management receive input from staff and this gesture by Dr. Baru has given members of staff a sense of belonging. Today, our input are being implemented and we are highly motivated,” Comrade Abdullahi stated.

    Supporting these positions, the Group Chairman of NNPC NUPENG, Comrade Udofia Odudu Benjamin, said the unions would continue to pray for divine guidance for Dr. Baru and the entire NNPC management

    Earlier, the Chairman of NNPC Corporate Headquarters Chapter of PENGASSAN, Comrade Mathew Duru, reiterated the continued support of the unions for the Dr. Baru-led management.

    “We just want to tell the GMD from the bottom of our hearts that we are with him and the Top Management; that we are behind the GMD who has done very well in turning the fortunes of the Corporation around”, the union leader said.

    He said since Baru assumed office, he had succeeded in clearing the air of uncertainty that prevailed in the corporation because of visionless reforms that left NNPC on the brink of collapse.

    He also said the GMD succeeded in resolving the NNPC Pension challenge that had led to disenchantment among staff.

    He added: “We are with you. We want to let you know that you are not an orphan.”