Ibe Kachikwu, Nigeria’s minister of state for petroleum, met with President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, October 6, 2017 in a closed door session at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Dr. Kachikwu arrived Aso Rock at about 11:33am and went straight to the New Banquet Hall, for a scheduled meeting with Buhari.
The minister was accompanied by his persoanl assistant. Although the agenda for the meeting was not made open, it might not be unconnected with the rift between him and the group managing director, GMD, of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Maikanti Baru who he accused of insubordination and of awarding contracts up to $26 billion without due process.
However, as Kachikwu was meeting with President Buhari, the GMD was also meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and later the chief of staff to the president, Abba Kyari at the Villa.
The GMD later went for his regular Friday juma’at prayer, at the Aso Villa Mosque.
Kachikwu had accused Baru of making lopsided appointments in the recent redeployment of senior management staff in NNPC where nobody from the South East was found worthy to occupy any position despite the fact that it is an oil producing region, while the South South that produces the bulk of the nation’s wealth was short changed.
After about one hour, Kachikwu came out of the meeting but kept sealed lips when State House Correspondents sought to know the outcome of the meeting.
The minister who walked out with the Femi Adesina, a spokesperson for President Buhari, after the meeting, beaming smiles, replied “no comment” when asked about the outcome of the meeting. At press time, the outcome of the meeting was still kept secret.
