Olalekan Adetayo , Abuja

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday presided over a meeting attended by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources , Dr . Ibe Kachikwu ; and the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation , Dr . Maikanti Baru , at the Presidential Villa , Abuja .

Both Kachikwu and Baru were in the limelight lately over a letter the minister wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari on the NNPC boss .

Kachikwu later told State House correspondents that the meeting discussed issues relating to oil fields as well as opening of escrow accounts and cash call issues .

The minister said , “ Is a meeting on upstream , a normal typical meeting . It was largely AGIP bringing some information to the Vice President on where they have been in terms of Okpai , in terms of Zabazaba Deepwater oilfield field , in terms of the cash call exit which they are doing with NNPC.

“ It was basically updating him , asking for areas where they need some assistance from government officials to sort of fastrack . It was normal upstream meeting.”

When asked on the extent which the issue of cash call discussed, the minister said , “ Yes . We did only to the extent that a few completion items on NNPC , largely the opening up of the escrow accounts and that type of stuff which they need to fasten up on.

“ But we are far gone on that . Installmental payments are already going on, I think NNPC is undertaking by October or early next month to complete that whole process. So is going on very well . ”

Punchng