Nigerian Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke while
responding to questions asked by newsmen in Abuja today April 22nd said
that she never bought a private jet, not even with that amount
speculating by people. "Who buys a private jet for $10million for
goodness sake?". Mrs Madueke said while responding to questions
bordering on the Petroleum Industry Bill.
She said that the problem going on around her lately is because she
stepped on some heavey toes with the reforms she brought in the
Petrolium Industry sector but she did not commit any crime or buy a
private plane for herself. Continue below to see her statement.
"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 & responsibility and reduce corruption in the
industry. We did all theses and we put them in place to reduce
corruption, so for me to be tagged with various tags of corruption, $10
million jet purchases, who buys jet for $10 million dollars for goodness
sake?
And $20 billion missing money for which PWC had done a report and the
$1.48 billion which is not missing, which is actually money transferred
by the NNPC to NPDC which is a subsidiary and NPDC has actually started
making payments under my directives. I have said during our time that
there are gaps in the NNPC and I said that openly. But I can also say
that at no time in Nigerian history in the oil and gas has the NNPC 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 I 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 need to stop. 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 benefited from our reforms
in the system.”she said
Mr.s Alison also made it clear that her visit to former Military Head of
state was not in anyway to seek for any soft landing because she is on
her way out of office. She said in her bid to open up the oil and gas
industry for more Nigerians to be involved, she stepped on many toes,
particularly toes of the big cabals in the oil and gas industry
"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. 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.
She continued "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
bothering 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 toes of the cabals that were
in the industry when we came in. 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. We have taken millions and in fact billions of dollars
out of the hands of multinationals and their subcontractors and put them
in the hands of Nigerians through the Nigerian Content. 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.”she said
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