Ike Amos
27 October 2018, Sweetcrude, Lagos — The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, yesterday, denied funding the media and publicity arm of President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election campaign.
In a statement in Abuja, Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the NNPC, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, distanced its Group Managing Director, Mr. Maikanti Baru, from the phantom cash transfer to the President Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organization for the purpose of funding the media, publicity project.
Ughamadu described the allegation as a Politically induced hallucination which has found accommodation in the subconscious of some mischievous political actors intent on dragging the corporation and its group managing director into the arena of partisan political tussle.
He said, “The allegation was not only patently false but runs against the prevailing gale of transparency and accountability pervading the operations of the NNPC since the advent of the current administration.
“With no regard for the cherished investigative reporting ethos of balance and confirmation of the story, the allegation, without doubt, come across as a kindergarten execution of an ill-thought political brinksmanship.”
Ughamadu called on all well-meaning members of the public and oil and gas industry stakeholders to disregard the phantom report, noting that the management of the NNPC under Baru was focused on delivering the aspiration of the president for the petroleum industry.