Fire Petroleum Minister Diezani Allison-Maduekwe Now-Anti-Corruption Network

Posted: July 4, 2012



Super minister: Diezani Allison-Maduekwe
By Dino Melaye

Mr. President, while the dismissal of several- soon to be retired senior managers of the NNPC is a step in the right direction, it still falls far too short of meaningful reform. By this, we mean that the structural problems plaguing the NNPC persist as long as the chairman of the board (Mrs. Allison Madueke) remains.

Until the Minister herself is removed, or still exerts a vice- like grip over the corporation resigns as chairman of the board, NNPC cannot operate as a commercial enterprise. And as long as the status quo persists, it shall always be tempting for the Minister to treat NNPC as her piffy bark. There is a popular adage that says “a fish starts to rot from the head” which leaves us with the opinion that unless something immediate is done to save the petroleum industry and indeed the NNPC as a corporation, then we might as well be heading straight for a full plunge into the darkest era ever. The gross incompetence of the Minister of Petroleum cannot be overemphasized, leaving Nigerians to wonder why her continuous stay in that Ministry persists.

Mr. President, what is however most disturbing is the fact that your statement, “there will be no sacred cows in the fuel subsidy probe” (which is supposed to be credible and final) sharply contradicts your actions in implementation. It is on record that several indictments and reports, most particularly the fuel subsidy probe has severally held responsible the management of the NNPC and the Minister of Petroleum for the overwhelming corruption in the oil industry and handling of the nation’s resources. Surely, coming from a reputable organization, and having worked in multinationals like SPDC, it would have been proper if the Minister thought it wise to step down honorably and invite the anti graft agencies to probe the petroleum industry under her watch, and make public its findings thereby exonerating her if she were innocent. I believe that the sack of Gen.Owoye Azazi the former NSA was in the interest of the nation as should be the case of Mrs. Madueke. I do not want to believe that there’s an inkling of bias in the selection of those to be prosecuted by this administration, as the interest of the nation comes first before any other thing.

Mr. President, I wish to highlight a few of her activities as petroleum minister. Since her assumption of office on the 6th of April 2010, till date, the total debt owed by the corporation is well over $9billion, which evidently cannot be paid either by magic or otherwise. The total provision for the fuel subsidy budgeted for the year 2012, has already be expended as at the 2nd quarter of this year, not to mention that these monies were paid for the arrears due to marketers for last year. According to the Coordinating Minister of the Economy / Minster for Finance at her declaration yesterday at the NASS, disclosed that a whopping N2.19 trillion has already been paid as at June 2012 on subsidy. One of the most disturbing issues is that the expenditure for fuel subsidy for the year 2011 was incurred without any authorization from the NASS in that regard. This is even more worrisome when the price of oil keeps dwindling and therefore means that there will be no credible means of funding the subsidy payments. The sovereign debt loan also cannot be repaid, which takes us back to where we started from in the first instance. Mr. President, it may interest you to know that most of the debts incurred by the corporation in the last 24months were incurred under this Minister of Petroleum.

Mr. President, only yesterday, it was confirmed that a secret account has been operation by the NNPC with JP Morgan in the US for the sales of her products’ with no one knowing who the signatories to this mysterious account are. This is clearly in violation to the acts that established the NNPC, and as such is criminal. The fact that these monies were paid to this account before remittance to the federation account thereby suggest fraud and corruption of the highest other. Indeed this underscores the fact that the corporation is rife with shady and corrupt dealings at a time when national transformation is being canvassed by this administration. This further explains why there are no Ministers of states for the Ministry of Petroleum. A ministry with about four Ministers during the Obasanjo regime. The minister alone cannot conveniently discharge her duties as expected and transform the corporation as opined because of this huge work load, which in avertedly leads to gross incompetence in one way or the other except there are primordial reason.

It is said that, “a captain goes down with a sinking ship” but this is a nation and Nigerians will not go down with the minister. It would be most honorable for her to resign her appointment immediately, having lost her lieutenants (the former NNPC board) in the battle and pave way for a total checkup and diagnosis to the sinking corporation and petroleum ministry.

Arbitrary awards of crude lifting contracts to obscure companies is als indicative of the corruption in the oil industry, which allegedly skyrocketed during the tenure of Mrs. Allison-Madueke to a degree last seen during the Sani Abacha administration.

Having said this Mr. President, one of my Director’s, Comrade. Timi Frank a true son of Bayelsa, Niger Deltan and indeed a Nigerian said “that Mrs. Deziani Madueke has brought shame, failure, total disappointment and disgrace to Bayelsans home and abroad, Niger Deltan’s and indeed Nigerians. Bayelsa, where she hails from and Nigerians at home and in diaspora are particularly shocked given to the numerous scandals to her name. After all we have also had several petroleum ministers from this region, e.g. Prof. Tam David West, Chief Don Etiebet, Chief Dan Etete and Chief Dr. Edmond Daukoru who made us proud whilst in office as against Mrs. Madueke who has brought this much disgrace while adding nothing of value to her homeland”.

Furthermore Mr. President, I will like to use this opportunity to remind you of the 14days ultimatum issued by this network that will expire next week Wednesday 11th July 2012. If these issues of corruption, including the sack and prosecution of Mrs. Deziani for gross incompetence and corruption, and your ability to demonstrate strength at quelling the Boko Haram killings are not effected, then the Anti-Corruption Network will mobiles Nigerians in collaboration with various civil society groups to come out en masse and express our disappointment in this administration’s drive at fighting corruption and curbing the irresponsible killing of Nigerians.

I want to use this opportunity to call on all well meaning citizens home and abroad irrespective of religion, class, position or political affiliation to get ready to OCCUPY NIGERIA and support the fight against corruption in its entirety. I am urging my fellow citizens to brace up for the upcoming peaceful protest that will ultimately give us our fatherland back from the shackles of the few bent on milking us dry before our very existence. We will protest vehemently within the confines of the law. In an unjust society, silence is a crime.

Thanks you sir,

Long live Mr. President
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria


Otunba Dino Melaye
Executive Secretary



http://anti-corruptionnetwork.org/

Lets keep on drumming this into GEJ'S ears.

Just look at what Dino is blabbing....first he hailed past ministers as having done this nation proud in the discharge of their duties,we all are still alive and can attest to the fact that the failure and corruption in NNPC is a product of past mismanagement and squander. To me the first step is to find out the truth about who actually owns the account, NNPC or CBN,find out the signatories and open everything for investigatin and prosecution. Dino in a hurry to make a name for himself is trying to trample on processes of solving problems. It is a recognised fact internationally that there are laid down processes issues take before the are finally laid to rest. CBN denied being owners of the account,likewise NNPC,we have to get the owners and conduct proper auditing to find out how money has been passing through it,not to hastily shout for the removal of a lady who is championing a cause for positive change in the petroleum industry. When she is eventually indicted, GEJ wil have no excuse to ask fr her prosecution,not before. What Dino is playing is a game we have witnessed in the past and we should not allow ourselves be used to fuel his selfish ambitions based on speculations.

A poorly orchestrated attempt at blackmail and witch hunting. First, Dino betrayed his sinister motives when he said other Ministers of Petroluem performed. Which Ministers performed? Is it ETETEH who corruptly enriched himself with several oil scams? Abi Etiebet who became so rich that he formed a politically party-NCPN to contest for presidency against Abacha? Secondly, he lied when he said Obasanjo had 4 Petroluem Ministers. Obasanjo himself was the Petroluem minister then. To justify this illegality, he created sub portfolio's for gas, oil, energy etc. These ministers were more or less floaters with no much schedule, no ministries, no perm secs etc. Thirdly, it is not true that Diezani is behind all the looting and corruption in the sector. However, what Melaye has failed to tell the public is that the Minister has taken the bull by the horn to expose and eliminate endemic corruption in the Petroluem sector. To this end, the woman has initiated several reforms viz The KPMG AUDIT of NNPC, the removal of subsidy, The imposition of higher barriers for participation in the crude export market, the formulation of the revolutionary PIB bill. The composition of RIBADU TASKFORCE on govts oil revenue. Anybody desirous of stealing oil revenue will look elsewhere for appointment of a more pliable person to head such TASKFORCE, NOT RIBADU. That is clear evidence of Diezani's sincerity. Fourthly, there's nothing so far linking DIEZANI with JP Morgan account. The NNPC officials are the ones who have a case to answer and have subsequently been summoned by NNPC to provide such answers. Even DIEZANI acknowledges that NNPC is a corruption cow hence her advice to the President for a major shake up and full deregulation.

mandelaguy or whateva you call your self, u are really annoying. i wonder why you never admit to anything that is anti GEJ. you really need to take chill pills, because no body can be as perfect as you try to paint your paint master GEJ. besides it seems like you are always on stand by, seconds away to contront any body with your "detailed information" any way too bad you are willing to support those that plunder the land, and mesh out dictatorial lashes without any sympathy to the suffering masses. Nairalanders are no fools, its really becoming irritating. YUCK!