JUST IN: NNPC Scandal: I approved loans not contracts – Osinbajo

Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, says he approved two loans for the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and not contracts.
Osinbajo’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande had earlier said that the VP approved contracts for NNPC.
The VP’s aide tweeted: “In response to media inquiries on NNPC joint venture financing, VP Osinbajo, as Ag President approved recommendations after due diligence & adherence to established procedure.
“Action necessary to deal with huge backlog of unpaid cash calls which Buhari admin inherited and also to incentivise much needed fresh investments in the oil & gas sector,” Akande had tweeted.
But speaking on Tuesday in Bonny Island where he flagged off the Bodo-Bonny Road, Rivers state, Osinbajo said he granted loans and not contracts.
His words: ” They were financing loans, joint venture loans, that have procured so in some cases NNPC ventures have to secure loans and they need the authorization to secure those loans.
“While the President was away, I granted authorization which is what the law provides.
“The law actually provides for that authorization, so I did grant all of those, in fact, there were two of them but those are presidential approvals but they are specifically for financing joint ventures and they are Loans not Contracts”, the Vice President added.