The Senate has set up an Ad-Hoc committee to conduct a holistic investigation into allegations of corruption in the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
The committee will also investigate the issues raised in a memo said to be written by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu.
The Chairman of the Ad-Hoc committee is Senator Aliyu Wammako.
This follows after Dr. Kachikwu was said to have written to President Muhammadu Buhari accusing the NNPC boss of practices that could jeopardise the Federal Government’s policies aimed at repositioning the petroleum industry.
In the letter, dated August 30, which was said to have been leaked to the public, Dr. Kachikwu complained to the President over what he considers as insubordination by the NNPC boss.
An alleged copy of the letter which is making the rounds on the Internet indicates that the minister is also unhappy with the manner recent changes in the NNPC were handled and accused Dr. Baru of humiliating the board.
Dated a day after the NNPC announced a massive shakeup which affected 55 management staff, the Minister said it wasn’t the first time changes would be made without the Board’s input.
“It is in the spirit of service and absolute belief in your leadership and integrity that I have, after one year of tolerating these disrespectful and humiliating conducts by the GMD, decided to bring these to your attention,” the Minister wrote.
He called on the President to intervene and “save the office of the Minister of State from further humiliation and disrespect by compelling all parastatals to submit to oversight regulatory mandate and proper supervision” which he is supposed to manage on the President’s behalf.
He also called on President Buhari to “save the NNPC and the oil industry from collapse arising from the above non-transparent practices and empower the Board” to do the needful.