President Muhammadu Buhari has appealed to Nigerians to ignore orchestrated attempts to damage the integrity of ministers and other senior government officials, who are being tarred with the brush of corruption without any concrete evidence.
Reacting to reports, particularly by online media, that the immediate past Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), who is also the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, is being investigated over crude oil swap deals and gas liftings during his tenure as GMD of the petroleum corporation, the President called for decent and civilized comments, particularly when it has to do with the integrity of those who are serving the country.
“Terrible and unfounded comments about other people’s integrity are not good. We are not going to spare anybody who soils his hands, but people should please wait till such individuals are indicted,” he said.
The President said the present administration was committed to probity, accountability and integrity, promising that transparency remains a watchword, which would never be trifled with.
Kachukwu, who was at the State House yesterday, was removed as GMD of the NNPC on July 4 and replaced with Maikanti Kacalla Baru, who was the Executive Director of Exploration and Production at the NNPC.
