The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has denied a report making the rounds that its Group Managing Director, Ibe Kachikwu, has been sacked by President Muhammadu Buhari, saying the Minister of State for Petroleum is still carrying out his duties as assigned to him by the president.
Yesterday an unconfirmed report announcing the purported dismissal of Mr. Kachikwu emerged on the Internet.
The report, which did not cite any official sources, also said Mr. Buhari had named Maikanti Baru, NNPC Group Executive Director, as Mr. Kachikwu’s replacement and head of the country’s oil company.
However, the Group General Manager, Public Affairs Division of the NNPC, Garba-deen Mohammed in a statement said the news is untrue.
“The story is completely false,” Mr. Mohammed said. “It should be ignored by all Nigerians.”
“The minister is currently in his office and has continued to function in the roles assigned to him by the president.”
Sources in the presidency also confirmed that Mr. Kachikwu remained the Minister of Petroleum and the GMD of NNPC and urged Nigerians to disregard the false news of his sack.
It would be recalled that Mr. Kachikwu had come under fire from Nigerians of recent especially as a result of the lingering fuel scarcity in the country.
