The Niger Delta Indigenous Movement for Radical Change, (NDIMRC) has tackled President Muhammadu Buhari over the appointment of Dr. Maikanti Kacalla Baru as the new Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
In a press statement by its President, Nelly Emma, Secretary, John Sailor and Public Relations Officer (PRO), Stanley Mukoro, the group said the removal of Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu was an unfair treatment not only to the hard-working technocrat, but to the entire people of the neglected oil rich Niger Delta Region.
It said: “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 appointment of Baru by the President is not in the best interest of the nation, but to satisfy the interest of the North. It is unfortunate that the people of the oil-rich Niger Delta Region are being treated this way. Kachikwu brought a lot of changes into NNPC and the cabal in the oil and gas industry never liked him,” the statement said.
The group accused Baru of working against Kachikwu’s reforms in the NNPC, recalling that it had earlier in April this year called on Buhari to sack the new NNPC boss because of his acts of desperation to head the organisation.
It insisted that it was Kachikwu’s dual roles that gave confidence to the people of the Niger Delta and facilitated the peace deals he negotiated on behalf of the government.
Commending Kachikwu for his resilience, NDIMRC noted that: “Only last month, Kachikwu against threat to his life and members of his family, took a risky trip to the troubled Niger Delta region to see things for himself at the controversial Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Gbaramatu Kingdom, in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State and his visit brought hope to the hopeless people of the region.
“His trip to the area also helped to reduce the spate of attacks on oil facilities by rampaging militants. Can Baru take a trip to the Niger Delta region?
“As the new GMD of NNPC, can he plead with rampaging militants in the Niger Delta region to give peace a chance and they will listen to him? The choice of Baru as the man at the helm of affairs in NNPC is not the best,” NDIMRC said”.
“As an oil monitoring group, we are highly disappointed that the President decided at this crucial time to leave the affairs of the NNPC in the hands of Baru.
“We are not impressed that President Buhari in his bid to satisfy the interest of the north 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 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,” NDIMRC stated.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
