Senate under pressure to drop probe of $25b NNPC contracts

The Senate has postponed the commencement of its planned
investigation into the alleged award of $25 billion worth of contracts in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).Following the allegation of abuse of due process made by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, against the NNPC Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru, the Senate resolved to investigate the matter.
The upper chamber also resolved to investigate Baru over alleged insubordination and abuse of office as contained in the leaked Kachikwu’s letter to President Muhammadu Buhari.Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who announced the postponement during yesterday’s plenary session, said that the investigation would commence next Tuesday.
 The investigative panel headed by former Sokoto State Governor, Aliyu Wamakko, ought to have started work yesterday.Ekweremadu, who presided over the plenary, did not give any reason for the sudden postponement. It was, however, learnt that pressure was being mounted on the Senate leadership from many powerful quarters to abandon the probe.
Source Guardian Newspaper.