A group, Niger Delta Indigenous Movement For Radical Change, NDIMRC, has lampooned President Muhammadu Buhari for the removal of Ibe Kachikwu as the group managing director of state-owned oil company, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.
In a statement signed by its president, Nelly Emma, secretary, John Sailor, and spokesperson, Stanley Mukoro, the NDIMRC accused Buhari of removing “hardworking and committed” Dr. Ibe Kachikwu from the top position in NNPC in order to please the Northern interests in Nigeria.
The July 7, 2016 statement accused the new group managing director of the NNPC, Maikanti Kacalla Baru, a former group executive director in charge of exploration and production of spearheading the Northern interests that mounted pressure on the president to remove Kachikwu.
The Niger Delta group frowned at the unceremonious removal of Dr. Kachikwu, a Harvard Ph.D., and described his removal as unfair to the people of the oil-rich Niger Delta region and is an indication that Buhari is not serious about reforming the NNPC.
“The whole world is our witness that we raised the alarm in April this year that Dr. Maikanti 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,” the statement said.
“We are sad over the unfair treatment of Dr. Kachikwu by the president. The former GMD was committed to the total reforms of NNPC of which Dr. Baru was against.
By the sacking of the hard-working Dr Kachikwu at this critical time and replacing him with a desperate Dr 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.
“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
encouraging him to do more for the sector, the president decided to do otherwise,” the statement said.
The group accused Dr. Baru of being behind an April 2016 rumour that Kachikwu had been sacked recalled “warning President Buhari to be wary” of the new NNPC boss saying that he is not fit for the role of leading the oil corporation.
“Without apology, we want to say that Dr Baru does not mean well for the corporation. He is a spoiler and has been too desperate to become the GMD of the NNPC,” the statement said. “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.”
The Niger Delta Indigenous Movement For Radical Change ended its statement by condemning the manifested Northern domination agenda in General Muhammadu Buhari’s appointments.
“We are not impressed that President Buhari in his bid to satisfy Northern Nigeria with more juicy positions at the detriment of the oil producing people of the Niger Delta Region left the affairs of NNPC in the hands of a desperate Dr. Baru who will only sit in the comfort of his office in Abuja without thinking about the pains the oil producing people of the Niger Delta Region are passing through.”
