October 30, 2017
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has once again weighed in on the controversy over the approval of contracts in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
The Vice President who had earlier said he gave approval to the NNPC to sign two loan deals, spoke about the issue at a forum which discussed ways of creating a better Nigeria in Lagos on Friday.
A letter sent by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, to President Muhammadu Buhari accusing the NNPC Group Managing Director, Dr Maikanti Baru, of insubordination and of ignoring the NNPC board in approving contracts, among other issues, had sparked the controversy.
The NNPC GMD had since defended his actions insisting he followed due process and that the President, who is also the Minister of Petroleum Resources, approved the contracts.
On Friday, the Vice President told participants in the forum that it is the Tenders Board of the NNPC that is meant to approve contracts and not the NNPC Board.
Professor Osinbajo said, “Is it the Board of NNPC or is it the Tenders Board of NNPC that approves contracts of a certain level? Is it the Board of NNPC or NNPC’s Tenders Board? Now, that inquiry was made in 2015 by way of a letter – and I am sure you’ve seen all of that. The answer that was given by the Bureau of Public Procurement is that the board referred to was the tenders’ board, not the Board of the NNPC.”
Channels Television