Press "Enter" to skip to content

“Remove undue pressure on the health of the President and allow him to attend to urgent matters of the State” – Femi Falana

Femi Falana, (SAN) on Sunday, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to give up his position as the Minister of Petroleum Resources, adding that the said position if handed over to someone else would.

“remove undue pressure on the health of the President and allow him to attend to urgent matters of the State”.

He advised the President to refer to the $25bn contract scam allegations levied against the Group Managing Director, of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Dr Maikanti Baru, to the EFCC.

“In order to conduct a thorough investigation into the grave allegations of the reckless contravention of the Provisions of the Public Procurement Act, Mr Baru should be placed on indefinite suspension while the Presidency should refer the case to the EFCC”.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria mentioned that apart from sanctioning Officers responsible for creating a rift between Dr Kachikwu and the President, the allegation ought to be investigated in line with the anti-corruption policy of the present administration.

“Once it is confirmed that the said $25bn contracts were awarded without the approval of the NNPC board, they should be revoked while the recent appointment of the Heads of the parastatals in the oil and gas industry should be reviewed in line with the constitution and the Federal Character Commission Act”.

Mr Falana noted that the meetings of the board which are statutorily required to be chaired by the Minister of Petroleum Resources have not been held as and when due.

“Having regard to the enormous responsibilities of the office of the Minister of Petroleum Resources and Chairman of the NNPC Board, President Buhari is advised to relinquish the Ministerial Position in view of his busy schedule and appoint another Nigerian of proven integrity and competence to superintend the affairs of the Ministry, he said.

In a related development, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (upstream), Senator Tayo Alasoadura representing Ondo Central Senatorial District has said President Muhammadu Buhari should step down as the Minister of Petroleum Resources and appoint a substantive Minister who would be able to do the job more effectively.

“Judging from the many problems plaguing our country today, I believe Mr President should devote time to other things and let an independent person run the Petroleum Resources Ministry, who will then report to him twice or once a week”.

Facebook Comments
ETN24 - Explaining the News is about putting News in the correct context to promote understanding and education. We believe News should educate, not agitate. Our dedication is to fighting Fake and Sensational News, as well as to keep an eye on the media to ensure our peace and sanity are not sold for traffic.
+ posts