Senate asks Buhari to suspend Kachikwu and Baru

• Urges him to step down as Petroleum Minister
The Senate has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to suspend the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, and the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Dr. Maikanti Baru. He was equally urged to step down as the Minister of Petroleum Resources
The position of the Senate was stated on Sunday by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), Senator Tayo Alasoadura, on a Channels Television programme, Sunday Politics.
The position of the Senate follows the face-off between the MD of NNPC and the Minister accusing Baru of unilaterally awarding $25 billion contracts and employments.
Alasoadura said Baru’s continued stay in office could jeopardise the Senate investigation into the allegations that he awarded the contracts without the approval of the corporation’s board.
When asked if Kachikwu and Baru should be suspended, Alasoadura said: “I believe so, especially the man who is doing the day-to-day running of the organisation.
“In order not to hinder or hamper that investigation, because records will be needed and even from the date of the leakage of that letter, I think action should have been taken to ensure that nothing will be missing when investigations start
“So, I think the two of them should be asked to step aside and when investigation is over, whoever is culpable will go and whoever is not culpable will continue with his duties.”
Alasoadura said it was also time for Buhari to step down as the Minister of Petroleum Resources, adding that this was what led in the first instance to the lacuna that gave rise to the accusations.
He was of the view that Buhari should 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 more 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.”
It would be recalled that since the crisis rocking the corporation became public knowledge through a memo a leaked memo from Kachikwu to Buhari, the President only had a private discussions with the two actors on Friday. The details of their discussions were not made public.
Many prominent Nigerians are of the view that both Baru and Kachikwu should be suspended for the time being until the full investigations were conducted on the matter. Human Right activist and lawyer, Femi Falana on Sunday through a press statement made the same call.