Niger
Delta Indigenous Movement For Radical Change, NDIMRC, an oil monitoring group
which had earlier warned of plot to remove Dr Ibe Kachikwu as the Group
Managing Director, GMD, of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has
condemned President Muhammadu Buhari for his removal. Kachikwu was replaced
with the former Group Executive Director, Exploration and Production of the
corporation, Dr Maikanti Baru.
NDIMRC
had earlier alerted of pressure mounted by Northern interests led by Baru, to
be made the GMD of the state-run oil firm, before President Buhari finally
succumbed on July 4, 2016 when he removed Kachikwu from oil-rich Delta State as
the corporation’s executive head.
The
group in a statement by its President, Nelly Emma, kicked against the sudden removal
of Dr Kachikwu as the GMD of NNPC by the President, describing it as unfair
treatment not only to the hard-working technocrat, but to the entire people of
the neglected oil rich Niger Delta region.
“The
whole world is our witness that we raised alarm in April this year that Baru
was desperate to be the GMD of NNPC and was mounting pressure on the President
to sack Kachikwu and now we have been vindicated. “We are sad over the unfair
treatment of Dr Kachikwu by the President.
The
former GMD was committed to the total reform of NNPC of which Baru was against.
By the sacking of the hard-working Dr Kachikwu and replacing him with Baru, it
is now clear to us as a group and the whole world that the President is not
serious about his promise to turn NNPC around for the better.
“The
appointment of Baru by the President is not in the best interest of the nation,
but to satisfy the interest of the North.
The removal of Dr Kachikwu at a most
sensitive time, has raised concerns among stakeholders in the region that the
administration of President Buhari has remained adamantly unresponsive to the
accusations by the militants that some of the local oil firms exploiting the
hydrocarbon resources in the Niger Delta region and polluting the environment
belong to non-indigenes of the oil producing communities.
“Last April, our findings revealed that the
Adviser On Gas to the GMD of NNPC, was behind a devilish rumour that Dr
Kachikwu was sacked.”
He
has been very desperate to become the GMD of NNPC and we warned President Buhari
to be wary of him, but the President never listened. “It is unfortunate that
the people of the oil-rich Niger Delta region are being treated this way.
Dr
Kachikwu brought a lot of changes into NNPC and the cabal in the oil and gas
industry never liked him and rather than encourage him to do more for the
sector, the President decided to do otherwise.
The President has once again
made a big blunder with the appointment of Dr Baru who never wanted the reforms
of NNPC embarked upon by Dr Kachikwu.”
The
group while accusing the new GMD of NNPC, Dr Baru as one of those who destroyed
NNPC that Dr Kachikwu worked round the clock to bring back to life, said
“Without apology, we want to say that Dr Baru do not mean well for the
corporation.
He is a spoiler and has been too desperate to
become the GMD of the NNPC. Dr Baru has never liked the reforms in NNPC and
such a desperate man should not have been allowed to head NNPC as he will ruin
the place that Dr Kachikwu worked so hard to fix up.
Dr Baru is not the best
man for the job. “President Buhari should have fired Dr Baru as suggested by us
last April.
The new GMD of NNPC has been working with oil
cabal to frustrate the efforts of Dr Kachikwu, especially in his bid to make
NNPC a better place. Dr Kachikwu ended the fuel scarcity caused by Dr Baru and
his co-travellers and rather than give him a pat on the back for a job well
done, he was removed by the President and replaced with desperate Dr Baru who
has nothing to offer,” the group said.
Dr Baru’s appointment, the group said, raises
questions as to whether he can lead negotiations to calm restive militants in
the Niger Delta, who have renewed hostilities in the oil-rich region in a wave
of attacks on oil industry installations.
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