By Tare Youdeowei

An oil monitoring group, the Niger Delta Indigenous Movement For Radical Change, NDIMRC, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to disregard the latest call to fire the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Emmanuel Kachikwu.

The Managing Director of Oil Mogul Nigeria Limited, Nkemjika Igbikiowubo had in an open letter to President Buhari on Wednesday, called for the sack of the Minister, accusing him of gross misconduct.

But NDIMRC in a statement signed by its President, Nelly Emma, Secretary, John Sailor and Public Relations Officer (PRO), Stanley Mukoro, absorbed the Minister of the sea of accusations levelled against him.

The statement read: “We are surprised that some stakeholders in the oil and gas industry have refused to see anything good in the Petroleum Resources Minister of state who is busy right now trying to ensure that we overcome the lingering fuel crisis in the country.”

Dismisses accusation of his using private jet
Also the group has dismissed allegation against the Minister that he uses private jet at the expense of the state, saying the Minister cancelled the contract for hiring Jet on assumption of office.

The Minister came under fresh attack recently when he was accused of using private jet like the former Petroleum Resources Minister, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke.

According to the group, “Our findings have shown that the Minister is not using Private Jet as being accused. We want to let those faceless individuals accusing the Minister to know that their information is not correct because to show he is prudent, Dr Kachikwu on assumption of office as the GMD and Minister cancelled all contracts for hiring Private Jet for Petroleum Minister, and at the moment, contracts of hiring Private Jet no longer exist.”

The statement added that, “we have repeatedly said it that those being hurt by the reforms of the Minister in the oil and gas industry, are the ones doing everything to give him (Kachikwu) a bad name.”