Petroleum Minister
Diezani Alison-Madueke asked who buys a private jet for $10million after she
was accused of buying one for that amount while in office. "Who buys a
private jet for $10million for goodness sake?". Mrs Madueke said while
responding to questions bordering on the Petroleum Industry Bill asked by
newsmen in Abuja today April 22nd. She also said she stepped on big toes with
the reforms she brought but never committed any crime. What she said below...
"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
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
She also said 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. 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
Source: Thecable.ng
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