Minister of Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu. Image: Guardian Nigeria
Ministry of Petroleum Resources has said its Minister (State) Ibe Kachikwu is a man of integrity and is not afraid of a probe by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Famzn News understands that there are reports that the ministry is shielding Kachikwu from being probed over allegations of “petroleum subsidy fraud.”
As stated by a statement by the ministry, the reports are attempts to smear the personality of Kachikwu.
It said, “The invidious effort to impugn Kachikwu’s integrity first started in 2016 when a shadowy group of people came out with a claim that Kachikwu, in collaboration with some individuals and some oil and gas companies, had a case to answer in relation to oil subsidy fraud, a claim the EFCC thoroughly investigated and discarded because there was no substance to it.
“The recent claim by PAL is, therefore, an attempt to rehash and repackage an old plot with a view to either blackmail Kachikwu into conceding some unnamed and unknowable favour or tarnish his good name.
“Whatever may be the motive of his traducers, just as that initial action failed to achieve the sinister purpose of its sponsors, this one by PAL will similarly fail as there is nothing that Kachikwu has done in the dispatch of his remit to warrant prosecution.”
The statement added that “Kachikwu is a well-known individual and public official who has no stain on his character and every effort by mischievous and wicked individuals to prove otherwise shall fail woefully.
“It is key to note that the HMSPR has been the forerunner of the very successful reforms ongoing in the Nigerian Petroleum sector of which Transparency and Accountability are critical reforms ongoing in the sector.
“The publishing of the monthly NNPC financial report, resolution of the cash call bottleneck, the Gas revolution and many others are few examples of these reforms.”