KACHIKWU PAYS N182MILLION FOR A CHATTERED FLIGHT TO CHINA, APPOINTS TWO SA’S FOR HIS WIVES

Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu allegedly spent over
N182million on a chattered flight to China for a three-day roadshow in the
Asian country to attract investments to Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, an
angry member of his entourage told pointblanknews.com.

The source, who does not want to be named, described the Petroleum
Minister as “extravagant, lavish and too flambouyant for Buhari’s
anti-corruption Government.”

Pointblanknews.com investigation shows that a one way chartered flight
from Lagos to Beijing cost about $316,000.00 (N115m) With the roundtrip
according to PrivateFly an airline charter company that flies that route
estimated at $500,000.00.

Sources confirmed that since becoming the minister of state for Petroleum,
Kachikwu has not flown any commercial airlines both for local and foreign
trips.

“It is worrisome that Kachikwu like the former minister of petroleum
resources Diezani Alison-Madueke has been flying in chartered private jets
since assumption of office,” a source told Pointblanknews.com

“The country is not happy. Too much money was spent on one man’s travels.
That money could have been spent improving the lives of the people. It
feels like he is spitting in our face, another source in the know said.

A source told Pointblanknews.com that Kachikwu late last year built a
Helipad in his expansive country home in Onicha Ugbo and flew on a chopper
from his home on Christmas day to the Asaba airport; a journey of less
than 15 minutes’ drive.

On a recent official visit to the United Arab Emirate, the flamboyant
minister insists in staying at the Burj Al Arab hotel, “the world’s only
seven-star hotel”, based in Dubai. The hotel stands on an artificial
island on top of water and the cheapest room cost about N1.2M per night.

Kachikwu who has two wives has also approved Special Advisers for them in
addition to dozens of Special Advisers he has employed while his brother,
Dumebi Kachikwu who was indicted in the iGate Scandal in U.S, has an
office space in Asokoro which serves as a clearing house for shady oil
deals for the Minister.

The two advisers to his wives are paid from the Ministry of Petroleum,
according to an insider source who wants to remain anonymous.
Checks at the NNPC towers indicate that he also has a staff for the
purpose of bringing his breakfast and lunch.

Although sources say the Minister has always insisted that his extravagant
lifestyle is funded by International Oil Companies, IOC’s in Nigeria,
pointblanknews.com could not confirm that.

The lifestyle of Kachikwu reflect the tragedy of resource-rich African
countries where the leaders spend millions on luxury items, as the
ordinary people live in abject poverty, lacking access to basic amenities
and services such as clean drinking water, health care and education.

Only recently, the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun had painted a
gloomy picture of the economy when she appeared before the Senate, saying
the country was at the moment in tough place and in recession.

Pointblanknews.com