NNPC GMD Baru Accompanies Buhari To China

The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Dr Maikanti Baru, is among the delegates who will accompany President Muhammadu Buhari to China on Friday.

President Buhari is expected to depart Abuja later today for Beijing, China, where he will participate in the 7th summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation scheduled to hold from September 3 to 4.

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According to a statement by Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, nine ministers, four state governors and four senators all elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress are also among top government officials that will be on the President’s entourage.

Shehu said as part of Buhari’s first engagement in Beijing the President would assess infrastructural projects under Chinese interventions in Nigeria.

“The President will also use the occasion of his audience with the Chinese leadership to assess the progress made so far in Chinese interventions in Nigeria’s key priority infrastructure projects, particularly on-going projects in the railway and power sectors,” the statement read in part.

“It is noteworthy that since the last FOCAC VI Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa in December 2015 – the first attended by the Nigerian leader – and his successful State visit to China in April 2016, the current administration has pushed forward practical cooperation with China in the areas of infrastructure construction, trade, investments, finance, power, agriculture, education cooperation, among others.”

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Baru’s inclusion in the high-powered delegation to the Asian nation could be attributed to the NNPC’s role in the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline expected to be signed by President Buhari next week in China.

While meeting Engineering Procurement Construction contractors and possible lenders in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, two weeks back, Baru urged the team in charge of the AKK gas pipeline to speedily finalise its agreements for signing by the President.

The NNPC GMD had urged the Bank of China and the China Export and Credit Insurance Corporation (SINOSURE) to finalise their agreements on time to enable President Buhari assent to it during his next state visit to China.

The NNPC had reiterated its committment to ensuring the actualisation of the AKK project in line with the Buhari administration’s goal to improve gas supply across the country.

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