NNPC SAGA | KACHIKWU MEETS MAIKANTI BARU TO DISCUSS PETROLEUM INDUSTRY
NNPC SAGA | KACHIKWU MEETS MAIKANTI
BARU TO DISCUSS PETROLEUM INDUSTRY
NNPC SAGA | Kachikwu meets Maikanti
Baru to discuss Petroleum Industry
The minister of state of petroleum,
Dr Ibe Kachikwu and the group managing director of the Nigeria National
Petroleum Corporation, Maikanti Baru met to discuss the future of the country’s
petroleum industry. The duo has been involved in a public debacle following a
leaked memo written by the minister in which he accused Baru of
insubordination.
Vanguard reports that they met on
Tuesday, October 10 at the ongoing Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja, at the
Energy Policy Committee breakout session. Baru was already at the session when
Kachikwu walked in and the former stood up to chat with the minister.
It was reported that they discussed
how the country oil sector can be pushed forward noting that there was so much
opportunities in it. It was reported that Kachikwu asked that Baru represent him
at the second session but this was rejected by the organisers who said NNPC
boss was to handle another session.
The minister briefly left and was
represented by Baru and returned a few minutes later to chair the session with
the NNPC boss. Kachikwu who spoke about the potentials in the country’s oil
sector said they were growing everyday. He said the “operating environment is
tough” but that the “Federal Government was looking at areas where it can
provide incentives to boost returns for investors, so as to attract more
investors into the industry. “ He noted that “companies that had suspended
their big ticket projects are beginning to look at the potentials of reviving
the projects and are set to take Final Investment Decision”
Baru spoke about the opportunities in
the forthcoming marginal oil fields bid round, saying that “the successful
completion of the process would present a veritable opportunity for Nigeria to
grow its crude oil output and create employment.”