Emergency! NNPC GMD, Baru Maikanti flown to India for surgery

Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Dr. Maikanti Kacalla Baru, is ill and has been flown to an undisclosed Indian hospital where he has undergone surgery for a yet to be disclosed ailment.

Authoritative sources told THEWILL that he was transported out of Nigeria to India about a week ago to treat the ailment.

Baru who replaced Ibe Kachikwu, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources in July 2016, is from Jama’are in Bauchi State, in the North-East geopolitical zone, but grew up in Jos, Plateau State.

Until his appointment, he was Special Adviser (Upstream) to the Minister of State for Petroleum and was NNPC’s Group Executive Director, Exploration and Production.

Efforts to get further information about the health status of Baru from the NNPC and his media team proved abortive as at time of writing this news report.

THEWILL gathered that the Chief Operating Officer, Gas and Power, Mr. Saidu Muhammad is presently running the NNPC in Baru’s absence.

Perhaps, Baru may be taking cue from President Muhammadu Buhari who has been in London for ‘vacation’ but is scheduled to under-go some medical tests that have kept him away from the public and returning to Nigeria as scheduled.