Nigerian oil was discovered in 1956, and production began in the late 1950s. Oil exploration became open to foreign corporations in the following decade. The oil industry grew steadily to become a global powerhouse, with some exceptions due to economic constraints.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) was established in 1977. The state-owned corporation's mission is to regulate and engage in the country's oil industry.

Currently, Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer. Nigeria is the world's eleventh largest oil producer, with 18 operational pipelines and an average daily production of 1.8 million barrels in 2020. The petroleum industry accounts for around 9% of Nigeria's GDP and nearly 90% of total export value.

However, the Nigerian oil sector is quite volatile with corruption, oil theft, conflicts, and other conflicts. Despite these issues, Diezani Alison Madueke rose to the challenging role of Petroleum Minister under former President Goodluck Jonathan's administration. She remained untouchable and worked hard to reform the oil sector despite many controversies.

Alison-Madueke promised to modernize Nigeria's oil and gas business so that all Nigerians benefited from numerous reforms when she took office as Minister of Petroleum Resources. In April 2010, President Goodluck Jonathan signed the Nigerian Content Act, a measure to increase the amount of petroleum industry contracts allocated to indigenous Nigerian enterprises as a response to foreign operators' dominance of the sector.

This proved to be a positive outcome for the Nigerian economy, creating over 15,000 direct jobs. The Nigerian Content Act provided 10,000 training and attachment opportunities for Nigerians. In addition, she reduced the rate of bunkering from 200,000 to around 60,000 barrels per day during her three years as Minister.

More so, for an administration signposted by controversies, Alison Madueke remained strict and diligent in her duties. Even though she faced media clap-back, she continued to push for the removal of fuel subsidy, claiming that it "poses a huge financial burden on the government, benefits the wealthy disproportionately, and encourages inefficiency, corruption, and diversion of scarce public resources away from investment in critical infrastructure."

Nevertheless, a report by the National Bureau of Statistics revealed that crude oil sales were their highest under the supervision of Diezani Alison Madueke in the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan era between 2009 and 2014. The former President presided over N65 trillion in crude oil output according to the data.

Ultimately, it's been eight years since Mrs. Alison Madueke was the Minister of Petroleum, but her legacy remains. She performed her role as the oil minister diligently. She developed significant initiatives that gained global recognition and welcomed foreign investments. While we look ahead to the future of Nigeria's economy, it's crucial to remember true leaders like Diezani Alison Madueke, who envisioned a better Nigeria for all.