Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr Ibe Kachikwu, has described as “distressing,” the circulation of an internal memo he wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari about the conduct of Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mr Maikanti Baru. Kachikwu said the letter, which surfaced on the Internet Tuesday, was part of routine exchanges he regularly shares with the president about “developments in parastatals under his supervision.” The minister conveyed the reaction through spokesperson for Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mr Idang Alibi. Alibi said the letter was aimed not at disparaging Baru but at “improving efficiency and deepening transparency in the oil…

Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Usani Usani; and governors of the Niger Delta states including Mr Ben Ayade (Cross River State); Mr Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa State); and Mr Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, have condemned the use of force as a conflict resolution tool. They stated that rather than resort to brute force as a conflict resolution tool, the Federal Government should negotiate with agitators to address the issues. They argued that since force had never succeeded in permanently solving any conflict anywhere in the world, it should be dumped. Usani, who chaired the public lecture on, “Insecurity: Socio-economic…