Shehu Sani, senator representing Kaduna Central at the National Assembly, says the leaked memo written by Ibe Kachikwu, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, to President Muhammadu Buhari is proof that there exists a government within the administration.
Sani expressed this opinion on Wednesday while speaking on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’.
He said there was no reason why it should be very difficult for a minister to have access to his principal, as Kachikwu claimed in the memo.
He also said that the recent development, if not properly handled, could “stain” the integrity for which Buhari is known.
“The content of that letter and the allegations raised also raise a number of issues, not only about the NNPC but about the whole structure of governance that exists today,” Sani said.
“If a Minister of State can outright say it’s been difficult for him to access channels through which he can present his issues, I think there is a system disconnect there.
“And it is simply giving credence to the fact there exists a government within the government. There are individuals that have formed a shield, a cycle….
“Kachikwu’s letter, and I think the issue that it raised in every possible way, is pointing to the fact that there is a cycle of powers within powers itself.
“In some cases, they call them kitchen cabinet, but this is not kitchen cabinet. This is about some persons who have surrounded the President and are exercising powers to themselves and to their advantage and also manipulating power for their own personal interest.”
Sani, however, said Buhari may not be aware of the issues raised by Kachikwu in the memo, otherwise he would have taken action.
“I am of the firm belief that if he is aware of this he would have taken action,” Sani said.
“And if he is not aware of this and this has been brought to the public fore, then he can now take action on it. But if he says he will not take an action on this issue, then it will certainly stain the integrity of the administration.”
Also speaking on the issue, Akin Osuntokun, former Managing Director of NAN, said for Kachikwu to put down such weighty allegations on paper against Baru, it means the rot in the NNPC is 20 times worse than currently perceived.
“If Mr Kachikwu can put what he has put into writing, the implication is that what is happening is 20 times worse,” Osuntokun said.
“The man (Kachikwu) put it in writing, he said so, that there is nepotism happening. He went to the extent of saying that contracts were irregularly awarded, being inflated and all that, these are serious allegations.
“And the gravity of it is that it is somebody who knows, he is an insider, it is his job.
“Shehu said they are investigating, will he (Kachikwu) be telling a lie against himself? I was Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria, if I write about that, that is authoritative.”
Osuntokun said the NNPC is vulnerable to corruption and the best approach will be to privatise it.
“Anybody who wants to seriously fight corruption in Nigeria should privatise NNPC. The government should completely be absolved of the management of that place,” he said.
“Let them get the tax or royalty or whatever at the end of the day.”