BREAKING: Kachikwu and Baru meet, discuss future of petroleum industry

macfranc007 October 10, 2017 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Nigerian newspapers 24/7 Omotayo Yusuf

- Dr Ibe Kachikwu and Maikanti Baru met to discuss future of Nigeria's oil sector

- The duo has been caught in a public debacle

- Both of them spoke on the potentials in the growing oil sector

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”

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigeria’s #1 news app

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.”

NAIJ.com had reported that Baru again reacted to allegations of corruption and insubordination raised against him by Kachikwu.

In his second response in two days, Baru said he did no wrong and repeated his argument that the NNPC board chaired by Kachikwu had no powers to regulate or approve contracts awarded by the state oil company.

Baru spoke on Monday when major unions in the oil and gas sector, Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG, paid the embattled group managing director a solidarity visit.

STREET GIST: Name a Nigerian politician who is not corrupt - on NAIJ.com TV.