A source who is close to the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has talked about why the NNPC boss, Maikanti Baru, allegedly ignored the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, in the running of the Corporation, saying that it was because the Chairman of the Corporation’s Board is the Minister of Petroleum Resources.

As revealed by Sunday Punch, the Act establishing the NNPC stipulates that the Chairman of the Board of the Corporation is not the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources but rather the Minister of Petroleum Resources.

However, it is of note that President Muhammadu Buhari, who is the current Minister of Petroleum Resources, appointed Ibe Kachikwu as the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and Chairman of the NNPC Board.

The source further said that the NNPC was only following the Act by reporting directly to the President, and that he did no wrong by that.

When asked if Buhari was not aware of the NNPC Act before naming Kachikwu as Chairman of the Board, the source said, “These were some of the issues raised at meetings the President is holding.”