The office of the vice president has reacted to claims that Yemi Osinbajo gave authorisation to NNPC for two oil contracts worth N640 billion
NNPC had allegedly claimed that the approval it received for two oil contracts worth N640 billion was given by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo
The agency reportedly said the contracts were signed on dates Buhari was on medical leave and Osinbajo was acting as president
The office of the vice president has confirmed that Yemi Osinbajo gave authorisation to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for two oil contracts worth N640 billion.
A series of tweets by presidential spokesperson, Laolu Akande, on Thursday, October 12, said Osinbajo approved the contracts in his capacity as acting president in July after due diligence.
According to an earlier report by Premium Times, Ndu Ughamadu, the spokesperson for the NNPC, on Wednesday, October 11, said the “Acting President Yemi Osinbajo gave the approval.”
NNPC said it received presidential approval for two oil contracts worth N640 billion which was granted by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo during his time as acting president.
However, Osinbajo’s office could not confirm or counter the claim made by the NNPC despite several requests.
Kachikwu in the August 30 memo, said the NNPC boss Maikanti Baru awarded up to $25 billion in oil contracts under different guises without recourse to NNPC board or himself as its chairman.
The agency also listed some contracts that received presidential approvals between September 2015 and July 2017.
The statement said NNPC received presidential approvals for two oil contracts on July 10 and July 31 worth $1 billion and $780 million, respectively.
The timeline indicated that the contracts were signed on dates Buhari was on medical leave in London and Osinbajo was acting as president in line with the Constitution.
Kachikwu in his memo to President Buhari, also stated that when the president was unwell in London for several months between May and August, Baru tried to get direct approval from Acting President Osinbajo for some personnel changes at the NNPC.
In a previous report by NAIJ.com, Baru said President Buhari granted approvals for oil deals to the government oil firm during the time he was on his sick bed in London.
The disclosure by Baru was made when he responded to the allegations made by the minister of state for petroleum resources, Ibe Kachikwu, over the unilateral award of hefty oil and gas contracts totaling about $25 billion by NNPC boss.NAIJ