Social media outcry: NNPC GMD cancels dinner with lawmakers

A dinner that was meant to hold at 7pm on Tuesday between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and members of the National Assembly was cancelled by the oil firm abruptly.

It was learnt that the meeting, which was scheduled to hold at the Trancorp Hilton in Abuja, was called off following allegations in the social media that the national oil firm was trying to influence the planned probe of the NNPC’s Group Managing Director, Maikanti Baru, by the lawmakers.
In October, the Senate resolved to probe into the accusation of insubordination and abuse of due process raised by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, in his letter to President Muhammadu Buhari against Baru.
Some twitter users after seen the invite for the dinner on Tuesday lambasted the corporation for planning such a dinner.
A twitter user with the name Scar A+, who’s twitter handle is @Mazi_Oscar, said, “Some states CS (civil servants) have yet to be paid their salaries and you people are here for dinner on tax payers’ money. History will never forgive y’all (you all).”
Another user, Isah Mohammed, with handle, @mohdisah048, said, “Stakeholders engagements since April abi? You guys should continue the lies, the day of reckoning is coming very soon for you all at the towers.”
Larry Oba, with handle, @whales1212, posted abusive comments about the corporation, as he stated that the oil firm was “spending our money anyhow. I wish all of us can be sent to Sudan. Useless people! They’re so shameless to even come and say rubbish.”
Mabunmi Olumayokun, with handle, @olumabs, said, “We are suffering guys! Petrol at N145/litre and our salaries yet to move from the days of N97/litre. There is God ooooo!!!”
In another tweet, Olumayokun said, “And you will come out to tell us you sent N2bn on this dinner, while we have unemployed first-class graduates seeking for jobs out there.”
Others wondered why the NNPC would be organising a dinner for federal lawmakers when Baru was supposedly being investigated by the National Assembly.
But in about 10 different tweets on its official Twitter handle on Tuesday, the corporation denied the fact that it was trying to influence the members of the National Assembly and subvert the planned probe of its activities and its GMD.
The corporation said the aborted dinner was part of its routine stakeholders’ engagement which began since April this year.
It said, “The attention of the NNPC Group has been drawn to online publication claiming it has organised a ‘Special Dinner’ for National Assembly members, following plans to investigate Dr. Maikanti Baru over the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Kachikwu’s memo.
“NNPC Group wishes to state that the dinner was part of the corporation’s routine stakeholders’ engagement which began since April this year.”
It added, “The dinner (with the National Assembly members) was to hold in July this year, again due to unavailability of the lawmakers as a result of the Sallah break, it was called off. It is important to note that all the National Assembly core committees relevant to oil and gas industry have agreed on October 31 for the dinner.
“Unfortunately, the lawmakers have been slated to have an engagement with the Presidency today (Tuesday). Thus, the dinner has been called off today.
“Having been slated since April and postponed due to circumstances, the dinner could not have coincided with the National Assembly’s investigation on the GMD of NNPC.”