The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission as well as the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the alleged $25bn oil contract scam in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

Why it matters:

• Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu had written a memo to President Muhammadu Buhari, where he accused NNPC boss, Maikanti Baru of $25bn contract scam.
• Kachikwu also accused the NNPC boss of insubordination and sidelining him from important decisions.
• Following the leakage of the memo, President Buhari had held a meeting with the Minister at the Presidential Villa.
• Baru had also responded to the allegations, stating that no law mandates him to discuss contracts with Kachikwu.

What SERAP is saying:

Executive Director of SERAP, Adetokunbo Mumuni, said the EFCC and the ICPC would be able to determine if such contracts existed or if the contracts followed due process.

Mumuni said, “I don’t want to take sides with anybody but the oil sector needs to be put straight and due process must be followed in the award of contracts.

“The investigators such as the EFCC and the ICPC must come into this matter. They must investigate transparently and release the report of that probe.

“This is necessary so that Nigerians can know what has transpired. Was due process followed? Was the process of awarding the contracts free of corruption? It is only when this has been determined that this government can prove that its anti-graft war is real.

“The NNPC has been in existence since 1977 under Olusegun Obasanjo as military head of state and Muhammadu Buhari was the first minister of petroleum and there was provision for a governing board. So, investigators will be the ones to tell us if there was corruption or not.”

Azeez