Chidi Samuel || The minister of petroleum resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu on Friday said he never accused the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Maikanti Baru of fraud in his leaked memo to President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to Kachikwu, the memo was based on governance issues and not fraud.
Kachikwu made the disclose in Owerri, Imo State, South East Nigeria while attending the workshop organised by the Nigeria Content Development and Marketing Board.
The minister said that President Buhari has asked him to work together with Baru to avoid ”doubt and rift”.
“The conversation has been largely misunderstood to border on fraud. It was not on fraud, but on governance and suggestions on ways to go about it. I think a lot of people got it wrong,” he said.
“People dwell much on issues of sensationalism and leave the main substance. The group managing director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, Dr Maikanti Baru, and I are working together as Mr President had directed to move forward.”
“Mr President has urged the two of us to find ways of working together to remove doubt and rift.
“Mr President is a decent man and what he wants to achieve in this country is to leave a legacy for posterity. He is a sincere leader, so nobody should accuse him of engaging in fraud.”