The group, Niger Delta Indigenous Movement For Radical Change, (NDIMRC)
has berated President Muhammadu Buhari for the removal of Dr Emmanuel Ibe
Kachikwu as the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation ( NNPC).
The group claims that President acted the scripts of desperados and
saboteur in the NNPC alleging the former Group Executive Director,
Exploration and Production of the Corporation, Dr Maikanti Kacalla
Baru who replaced Kachikwu has been desperate for the job.
The group alleged that Northern interests led by Dr. Maikanti Kacalla Baru
have been mounting pressure on Buhari to remove Kachikwu for over a month
now.
In a press statement by its President, Nelly Emma; Secretary, John Sailor
and Public Relations Officer (PRO), Stanley Mukoro and made available to
newsmen on Thursday, the group frown at the sudden removal of Dr Kachikwu
as the GMD of NNPC, describing it as unfair not only to the hard-working
technocrat, but to the entire people of the neglected oil rich Niger Delta
Region.
“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.
“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.
The group alleged that the appointment of Dr Baru by the President is not
in the best interest of the nation, but to satisfy the interest of the
North.
They said that the sudden removal of Kachikwu as GMD has raised concerns
among stakeholders in the region that the administration of President
Buhari has remained adamantly unresponsive to the accusations by the
militants.
The group disclosed that last April, it had revealed that the Adviser On
Gas to the GMD of NNPC, Dr Maikanti Baru was behind a devilish rumour
that Dr Kachikwu was sacked adding that Baru has been very desperate to
become the GMD of NNPC and “we warned President Buhari to be wary of him,
but the President never listened.
“It is unfortunate that the people of the oil-rich Niger Delta Region are
being treated this way. Dr Kachikwu brought alot 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 President has once again made a big blunder with the appointment of
Dr Baru who never wanted the reforms of NNPC embarked upon by Dr
Kachikwu, the group alleged.
“Without apology, we want to say that Dr Baru do not mean well for the
Corporation. He is a spoiler and has been too desperate to become the GMD
of the NNPC.
“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, they reiterated.
“Only last month, the hard-working Dr Kachikwu against threat to his life
and that of 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.
“The President should have honoured Dr Kachikwu for his hardwork. We must
say that we are disappointed with the choice the President made for the
NNPC.
;Can Dr 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 Dr Baru as the man at the helm of affairs in NNPC by the
President is not the best.
“As an oil monitoring group, we are highly disappointed that the President
decided to at this crucial time leave the affairs of the NNPC in the hands
of Dr Baru who helped to destroy the Corporation.
“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,” the group
further said.