The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, on Wednesday maintained that she has stepped on many toes while giving her best to the nation.
Speaking with State House correspondents, she also denied the reports that she was pleading with former Head of State, Abdusalami Abubakar, to talk with the incoming government in order to safe her name.
She said: “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 foots particularly the fleets of the cabals that were in the industry when we came in.
“Because I have said severally that we will open up the industry to all Nigerians and we have done that 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 foreign multinationals and their subcontractors and put them in the hands of Nigerians through Nigerian Content.
Continuing, she said: “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 theses and we put them in place to reduce corruption.”
On the various corruption allegations against her, she said that her tenure witnessed the most open and well audited time in the history of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
She added: “So for me to be tagged with various tags of corruption, $10 million jet purchase, 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 there is no time in Nigerian history in the oil and gas has NNPC being as open and audited as it is today.”
“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 coming out of places like Osun Defender and other faceless online and other entities 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.”
On the report that she was pleading with Abdulsalami, she said: “I believe that His Excellency 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 states men, 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 labeled 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 from 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 bothering on personal malicious libel to my person during this period of time,” she said
The Minister disclosed that the National Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) has started refund of $1.48 billion to the Federation Account in line with the recommendations of the Price Water House Cooper forensic audit
She said: “The Price Water House Cooper forensic audit that was done few weeks ago in its recommendation mentioned that $1.48B was owed by NPDC for a block that had hitherto been assigned from the NNPC to NPDC 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 and DPR on same. So the refund has actually began,” she said
According to her, scarcity of fuel being witnessed in Abuja and other parts of the country are caused by hoarding.
“This is very unfortunate and you know that product supply and distribution have been one of the high points of this administration when we came in. We have kept queues to the nearest 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, as we are coming to 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.
“PMS is available, marketers should make it available to Nigerians, we have worked so hard to build the system and we don’t want it distracted in these latter days,” Diezani stated Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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Let's wait and watch the new administration
ReplyDeleteJust making a media presence like it's going to save the day.
ReplyDeletePlease keep quiet. When Nigerian started asking questions, you rushed to the court to shut us up with your partner in crime, dumbo Jonothing. Now that the change has swept you away, you are singing like a canary. Gerrout thief.
ReplyDeleteMadam calm down, that audit that was done will be done again. I only pity the audit firm. We still remember the Cadbury story. Was the firm not audited before the truth came out. So you even read online messages and know osun defender. Anyways, I need to start searching for articles from that fellow. Seems to have something that makes you uncomfortable
ReplyDeleteMadam,
ReplyDeleteDon't worry you will be the first to be probed so that you can commence your sentence early and finish before 2019. Welcome back from billionaires club of Nigeria.
Why didnt PWC come since when Sanusi's allegations were in the news? Diezani, it worked in your favour more when you were silent; now, its obvious that you are conscious of what the future holds for you in the new in-coming dispensation. If I were you, I'd still have kept mum.
ReplyDeleteMadam Diezani, your claim to being persecuted for "stepping on toes" is bogus. You claim you opened up importation of fuel products to more Nigerians and that upset the existing "cabal". We know what you did: Immediately you became Petroleum Minister, you zeroed in on fuel importation as a way to fund PDP. You took over the powers of PPPRA and said only you could personally sign letters of allocation. You started giving import allocation to PDP people. Those that were not PDP had to deposit raw dollars at a certain office in Abuja, manned by a lone individual collecting the moneys on your behalf. Many of PDP beneficiaries of import allocation had no clue about the business and had no intention of importing anything. You would direct Warri and Port Harcourt refineries to give these PDP folks PMS, ostensibly to bring to Lagos. They would load PMS cargoes, take them to the high seas, transfer them to bigger vessels, and bring them into Lagos as "imported" fuel, and collect subsidy on them. That was how the cost of subsidy went from about N250b/year to over N2trn. When the Senate Committee asked you who allocated imports to the dubious people, your response was "the Presidency".
ReplyDeleteLet's talk about how you stole Nigeria blind by paralysing the refineries. Crude oil allocation to our refineries is 465,000 b/d, this being the total capacity of the refineries. The assumption is that all the refineries work at full capacity. But we know they don't. We know that you never wanted them to work because, you were exporting the crude oil meant for the refineries and collecting the money into this slush bank account to which only you were signatory. That was the huge pot that funded PDP. Those moneys never got into the Federation Account and so, any audit of the Federation Account would never pick up this looting. Those who try to defend the extent of your stealing by saying that the money in the Federation Account is limited are simply naive. You stole at source.
Diezani, many of us know you very well. You are a crook, a very smart one. The prayer of many of us is that you will be brought to book. You paralysed the oil industry. You cornered the sale of OIC's interests in oil blocks for your own interest. You demanded bribe from even your former employers (Shell) to carry out your functions. You know the truth but hope no one knows. The God of justice will deal with you in the fullness of time.
Have you read the Petroleum Industry Bill before the National Assembly? If they had passed that Law, all these things you are complaining about would have been history. The National Assembly will not pass that law as they want business as usual. As the new government takes charge, that law, which is the greatest anti corruption law Nigeria could ever promulgate in the oil and gas sector will die a natural death! APC is made up of politicians, infact all the politicians in PDP left to form the APC. Politicians prefer business as usual. You need to read between the lines and should not rely on information from these spurious faceless online publications.
DeleteIf you read that anonymous 8:23am posting well, you should see that the writer is an insider and not relying on any politician's claims. Whoever wrote that knows what he or she is talking about. Nothing in that write-up has anything to do with the new PIB. You do not need a new PIB to make it criminal to steal in the way described here.
DeleteU really know ur stuff and knowledgable abt dis.u sabi diezani pass us.
DeleteI am very disappointed on the way our so called lady ministers have been operating as if they value wealth more than the honour given to a woman by God. When things go wrong amongst men, I believe women should be at the mercy side to guide the men(husbands). What our Petroleum Res. Min., Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke is doing is exactly what the rest of them is doing. The question is; do this women know they've turned the glory given divinely to women by God, to folly? What are you doing with riches without honour? Do you know that when you die people who didn't work for it will takeover and be guiteless before man and God, so why must die and go to hell-fire for what is not parmanently your. I believe we decide to make a U-turn (women) the men wouldn't have choice but to flow with us as mothers.
ReplyDeleteMadam, what exactly is the sin of our lady ministers? Facts and figures please? Or is it based on what you are told?
DeleteAnonymous 10:03am, Please if you are very sure you do not have or know facts and figures of how Diezani have being mismanaging the public petroleum fund; I beg you in the name of God to stop commenting on this site, go and search for the information of what has been happening in the petroleum sector the past six year. Do not come here to ask stupid questions. #bringbackourgirls
DeleteAnon 10.03, re u Nigeria? U write like someone from Bangladesh
DeleteYou are all bias in the judgment of the minister, Before you begin to accuse her, better look into the whole picture. First of all she cannot stop the corruption in the Oil industry over night. I work in the Oil industry and I can tell you the big thieves are not the likes of the Minister. She said she has stepped on my many toes that is 100% right. The people raping and dividing us are the ones out there silently manipulating events to their own advantage. Please lets call a spade a spade. OBJ during his time controlled her position for two years without any body raising a wink. He refused to appoint someone for that position until finished his objectives and no one talked. The amount of reforms this woman has brought in is quite unprecedented. Lets give her credit for that...
ReplyDelete"The amount of reforms this woman has brought in is quite unprecedented." Reforms indeed! She has reformed the industry into her pocket. She reformed stealing by stealing from source so that you cannot trace it.
DeleteDazani you are a thief and a cheap prostitute, we know you in the UK , we know you in Shell and as a minister of pertroleum... I am sitting here waiting and watching; we as Nigerians are waiting to see what the new administors will do to corruption like you; women like you are supposed to be be stripped naked in the market square and stoned to death, you are a shame to womanhood, you as a disgrace to mankind, you are also a disgrace to your last employer "shell" you should be taken to all the market square in Nigeria naked and finally stoned to death, you killed so many innocent Nigerians with your greed, you use our money to pay for your waywardness... you are a total shame!!!! the damage you and Jonathan did to this country will continue to hurt you for the rest of your lives...God will punish you and him forever and ever #bringbackourgirls
ReplyDeleteYour reply is extremely personal.. Should not be taken seriously in any rational context whatsoever. Face the facts. Drop the insults. Thank you.
DeleteJust sh . shut the trap up, Bi - tch. We've had enough of your bulshit. You and your Boss. Just prepare to return all our money you have been stealing because the long arm of the law will grab you. O.J
ReplyDeleteDiezani, have you contacted your ex-friend 'Jide Omokore who absconded with $2bn of the money you stole (and kept in his custody), but which he has been enjoying with that super-model called Naomi Campbell in Switzerland? Please contact him quickly and tell him to return the rest of the money because we need it to provide infrastructure and health services to the people of Nigeria.
ReplyDeleteD truth ll prevail
ReplyDelete