By Ikechukwu Obi
According to message sent to an online news portal Premium Times the spokesperson for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Ndu Ughamadu said on Wednesday that the presidency under the capacity of the Acting President Yemi Osinbajo gave the approvals for two oil contracts worth N640 billion. But after 10 hours of enquiry, the office of Yemi Osinbajo (now vice president) could not confirm or counter the NNPC’s claim despite repeated requests.
Interesting! We’re getting somewhere. But let me streamline events on this issue since Monday for better clarity.
Monday: NNPC officially reacts to Kachikwu’s allegations, says it does not need the Minister of State’s input and listed some contracts that received presidential approvals among which are two oil contracts on July 10 and July 31 worth $1 billion and $780 million, respectively.
Tuesday: Premium Times investigations reveal that the Timeline for these contract approvals show that some fell into the period where Buhari was hospitalized abroad and they contacted NNPC to ask if Buhari approved those contracts while on his sickbed. NNPC responded: “presidential approval is presidential approval”.
This same Tuesday, Presidential spokesmen Garba Shehu and Femi Adesina declined comments on who approved the contracts.
Wednesday: NNPC, apparently realizing its faux pas, reached out to Premium Times to say it was Osinbajo who approved the contracts. Premium Times immediately reached the Office of the Vice-President who, nearly 24 hours later, has not responded.
Fellow Nigerians, this is where we are on the story of the ghost who gave approvals for oil contracts worth N640bn in a country that voted in a President on the basis of anti-corruption. Maybe today Thursday, the Ofiice of the VP will wake up and own up that he signed the contracts but the VP himself is in a tight spot of credibility on this matter because if he sent back NNPC GMD to Kachikwu on the matter of personnel changes when Buhari was away, it will be a great mystery (which raises other questions) if the same VP will sign off on contracts worth N640bn without referring same NNPC GMD to Kachikwu.
Nigerians are watching how this stink plays out.
