Minister of Petroleum Resources Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke yesterday said the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) has started refunding $1.48 billion to the Federation Account.
She spoke with State House correspondents. Mrs Allison-Madueke, who said she stepped on many toes in reforming the oil sector, denied reports she was pleading with former Head of State Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar to help prevent the incoming government from probing her.
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 toes, particularly the fleet 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 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.
“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 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.”
On the corruption allegation against her, she said her tenure witnessed the most open period in the history of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). She said: “So, for me to be tagged with corruption, $10 million jet purchases. Who buys jet for $10 million 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 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 has NNPC been as open and audited as it is today.”
She denied plotting to run away from the country after her tenure expires. “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 out that these malicious, malevolent, vindictive libels coming out of places, such as 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 Nigerians. Thousands of Nigerians have benefited from our reforms in the system.”
On her meeting with Gen. 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 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.”
She appealed to marketers to make fuel available to Nigerians. “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 latter days,” she said.
