Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Allison-Madueke, on Wednesday debunked rumours that she has fled the country following the failure of President Goodluck Jonathan’s ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to secure a second term.
Emerging from the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Aso Rock Villa, the Minister said she has no regrets stepping on toes of members of a powerful cabal in the nation’s oil and gas industry who are now feeding the rumour mills with maliciously false reports about her.
She also used the opportunity of addressing State House correspondents after the meeting to also refute allegations that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) refused to remit to the $1.48 billion (N294.5 billion) uncovered by a recent forensic audit to government. She also said the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) would refund the money.
According to Mrs. Allison-Madueke, “the PriceWaterhouse Cooper forensic audit that was done few weeks ago in its recommendation mentioned that $1.48 billion was owed by Nigeria Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) for a block that had hitherto been assigned from the NNPC to which is its subsidiary and they felt that the right process would be that NPDC will refund that money to the Federation Account.
“NPDC has apparently started those refunds and it is also in discussion with NNPC (Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation) and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) on same. So the refund has actually began.”
She acknowledged that “during our time there are gaps in the NNPC and I said that openly. But I can also say that there is no time in Nigerian history in the oil and gas that the NNPC has been as open and audited as it is today.
“It has been positioned to go forward in the industry, it is true that the revenue profile is not sustainable. But we have done our best and the Nigerian oil and gas sector is today in a better shape than it has ever been in terms of achievements that we have recorded.
“So let me state it clearly for the records that Nigeria is my country and am not going anywhere.
“I love my country and I do think that I have done the best for my country and I would also like to point these malicious, malevolence, vindictive libels…
“We have done enough for this industry, we cannot please everybody. Yes, we have stepped on toes but we did that in the best interest of Nigeria and we have opened up the oil and gas industry to all Nigerians, thousands of Nigerians have benefitted from our reforms in the system.”
On the persistence of fuel queues, the Minister blamed it on the petroleum products distributors, insisting that there was enough petroleum products available for Nigerians.
According to her: “We have kept queues to the bearest minimum. We have moved away from the challenges of the past and ensured through our various flexible product arrangement that we kept Nigeria wet with fuel supply.
“Unfortunately, you are coming into a transition, whenever certain things are happening, intruders will hijack the process and certain amount of hoarding taking place for various reasons, this is what we are experiencing and there is no reason for this because our reserves are enough to keep the country wet with products throughout this period.
“I will plead with marketers to please make the fuel available. PMS is available, make it available to Nigerians, we have worked so hard to build the system and we don’t want it distracted in these later days”.
She said the allegations of corruption and negative stories against her were the handiwork of vested interests opposed to her opening up the oil and gas sector to hitherto less privileged Nigerian investors. Despite such blackmail from detractors, she said a lot of firsts had been achieved in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector in the last four years.
The Minister also denied reports that she was running from pillar to post seeking intervention from influential Nigerians, including ex-head of state, Abdusalami Abubakar, to prepare a soft landing for her to escape possible probe or prosecution.
She said President Jonathan has already answered that and called it unnecessary mischief and I will ask that the media do its research properly and deal with the facts.
“I have the privilege of meeting with many senior statesmen during the course of my job in the Federal Executive Council and I was surprised that he should be singled out in any such form.
“The short answer is no. I have not sought such assistance because I am not aware that I have been indicted of any crime that I will need a soft landing.
“Over the last four years, I have been severally and unfortunately accused and labelled in so many malicious and vindictive ways. I have explained these things and pushed back robustly on these accusations and I have even gone to court on many of them. Yet they keep being regurgitated.
“And I think it is unfortunate, particularly when we are moving into a transition period and looking forward to an incoming government which is coming to take over where we have ended.
“For everything that has a beginning there is an end and that is not a surprise. What is the surprise is the sort of malevolence bordering on personal malicious libel to my person during this period of time.
“I do believe that I have done the best for Nigeria in this job and I have attained many firsts in the history of oil and gas especially in the reforms that we have done.
“In this period of time, I have stepped on many big toes particularly the feet of the cabals that where in the industry when we came in.
“This is because I have said severally that we will open up the industry to all Nigerians and we have but that is not to the pleasure of certain cabals.
“And I have been continuously maligned because of this and we have taken millions and in fact billions of dollars out of the hands of some multinationals and their subcontractors and put them in the hands of Nigerians through Nigerian Content (Act).
“Hundreds of thousands of Nigerians have come into the oil and gas industry because of our reforms.
“Quite frankly, I think as unprecedented as it is, it does not please everybody and that cannot be helped but let us remember the unprecedented reforms that have happened in the oil industry during our time, such as major gas reforms, the Petroleum Industry Bill, which has been completely revised, reformed and put into the hands of members of the National Assembly where it has languished for two years in the National Assembly.
“In that bill are all the reforms needed to tear NNPC apart, make it a National Oil company, an equity share company through transparency, accountability and responsibility and reduce corruption in the industry.
“We did all these and we put them in place to reduce corruption; So, for me to be tagged with various tags of corruption like $10 million jet purchases, who buys jet for $10 million dollars for goodness sake?”
By Chesa Chesa
DAILY INDEPENDENT
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