Osinbajo Holds Closed Door Meeting With Kachikwu, Baru

Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday held a closed door meeting with the Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu and Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Maikanti Baru at the presidential villa in Abuja.

Recall that the petroleum minister recently accused the NNPC boss of lack of adherence to due process in the issuance of contracts, highhandedness and insubordination.

It was assumed that the meeting might touch on the allegations, but Kachikwu said issues discussed at the meeting were basically on ‘joint venture cash call’ and oil fields.

Speaking to State House Correspondents after the meeting, Kachikwu said, “It’s a meeting on the upstream. It was largely AGIP bringing some information to the vice-president on where they had been in terms of Okpai, in terms of Zabazaba Deepwater oilfield field, in terms of the cash call exit which they are doing with NNPC.

“Agip was basically updating him, asking for areas where they need some assistance from government officials to sort of fast track. It was normal upstream meeting.

“We discussed only to the extent that a few completion items on NNPC, largely the opening up of the escrow accounts and that type of stuff which they need to fasten up on.

“But we are far gone on that. Installment payments are already going on, I think NNPC is undertaking by October or early next month to complete that whole process. So is going on very well.”