Vilified and often attacked for being responsible for the rot in the nation’s oil and gas industry, the minister of petroleum resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has borne everything with strong equanimity and an unwavering determination to deliver the goods. In this report, a look is taken at those areas where the minister has acquitted herself well in the face of daunting challenges and limitations.
While ‘bashing’ public officials seems to be the pastime of Nigeria’s criticising public, only very few public officers have been subjected to attacks, both personal and official, like Diezani Alison-Madueke. While some had said she is the most corrupt minister, some said she is so powerful to the extent that she dictates to the president. She has also been accused of being behind the recent crisis that has bedeviled the oil and gas sector in the last few years. Recently, she was accused of being behind the ugly drama that characterised the submission of the report of the committee set up in the wake of last year’s subsidy protests and headed by former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. But come to think of it, what have they not accused her of since she joined government? Some members of the committee had openly disagreed with the version of the report being presented to the President. Critics said Diezani and some Presidency officials actually colluded with the ‘disgruntled’ members of the committee to discredit the report so as to protect some friends of the president.
While these and other such debilitating criticisms have been made against the woman, they have not in any way prevented her from recording some modest achievement which even her staunchest critics could not deny her. In fact, observers of the oil and gas sector have singled her and her Aviation counterpart, Stella Oduah, another female minister, as two ministers who are really executing President Jonathan’s transformation agenda
The local content champion…
Determined to ensure that there is greater participation of Nigerians in the oil and gas sector, the minister has been pushing for creating the enabling environment for more Nigerians to come in into the capital intensive but lucrative upstream sector of the petroleum industry. Diezani is said to be so passionate about this that she is more or less a lone soldier pushing the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB. Though the bill has faced a lot of opposition both from politicians and some foreign oil interests, sources said this has not deterred the woman from trudging on. Observers also state no past oil minister has helped local indigenous companies like the current minister who always jumps at any opportunity to help any indigenous company in the sector to succeed.
That the nation may have adequate fuel.
One of the reasons adduced for the rise of oil subsidy thieves and the attendant fleecing of the country that went with it was the fact that the federal government did not have adequate storage facility and even when the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, imported fuel at times, it had to rely on private tank firms to store the commodity. But the minister of petroleum resources seemed to have noticed this when she initiated the refurbishment of the Benin Depot of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, PPMC, which was commissioned last week. The facility was first constructed in 1978 and was commissioned the following year. But since 2005, the facility has been dormant due to lack of adequate maintenance. The depot has a combined capacity of over a hundred and twenty thousand litres of petrol, kerosene and auto mobile gas oil. Apart from this, the facility has nine loading arms which make it easy for trailers to come in and take products simultaneously. The depot was meant to serve the evacuation of products from the Warri refinery through a gas pipeline that spans almost ninety kilometres. Speaking at the re-commissioning of the depot, an elated Alison-Madueke said she was delighted that government of President Jonathan was living up to its promise of ensuring adequate fuel supply. “I am delighted that under the administration of Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, the depot has been put back in operation and able to deliver products to the good people of Edo State and its teaming consumers. Also, I am pleased that through the concerted effort of NNPC Management and Staff, under my leadership, we are steadily yielding the desired outcomes.” Not done yet, the minister informed her audience that “the Depot we are re-commissioning today has the capacity to hold 59 million litres of PMS, 32 million litres of DPK, and 28 million litres of AGO. The resumption of commercial activities to this very important facility is a major milestone towards the restoration of steady products supply to Benin and its environs.”
Alluding to the menace pipeline vandalism had become in the country, the wife of the former military governor of old Imo State, Rear Admiral Alison Madueke said it was worrisome “that the menace of pipeline vandalism has now become a national security challenge with the latest example being the incident in Arepo, Ogun State which forced the shut-down of an entire line segment that serves as the gateway for petroleum products supply and distribution of over 60% of national requirement. Furthermore, the cost of products losses and repairs due to vandalism has continued to grow to an alarming level. In addition, the consequential cost of environmental remediation from the resulting spillage associated with vandalism and the loss of lives and properties of innocent Nigerians are unnecessary burdens we should not have to bear as a nation.”
An obviously impressed former Labour leader and incumbent governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, said he was impressed by the re-commissioning of the depot in Benin, the Edo State capital. He said he was now sure that the trips he usually made to Warri to solicit for the supply of petroleum products to Edo State was no over with the commissioning of the depot.
“The honourable minister has demonstrated that indeed good things can come from the petroleum industry as well as the NNPC. I thank God that I don’t have to make such long walk to Warri again because the Benin depot is back to service,” he said. Another major milestone in the minister’s stewardship was the commissioning of the Oredo Gas Handling Plant last week. Speaking at the event, Alison-Madueke said the facility, its construction and commissioning were an indication that the nation has arrived in the production of gas and allied products.
“It is of interest to note that NPDC is now the major gas supplier to the nation’s domestic market, with a current supply of approximately 400MMscfd and an expected growth to 600MMscfd by year end. Today’s commissioning of the Oredo Early first gas phase, which is currently delivering 65MMscfd to the domestic market clearly demonstrates this growing capability of NPDC to take a leading role in the Federal Government’s quest to rapidly increase gas supply, and it is my hope that by the end of this year, the complete Integrated Gas Handling Facility (IGHF) which will deliver 100MMscfd of lean gas, and about 330 tons of LPG per annum to domestic consumers will have been completed.”
The announcement by PPMC Managing Director, that the Maiduguri Depot will be rehabilitated in the next 60 days is another cheery news for people of that zone. A it will significantly ease the fuel challenge the people of that zone face daily.
Jobs for teeming youths.
As earlier stated, one of the things dear to the heart of the petroleum minister was greater participation of Nigerians in the oil and gas sector. While she has pursued this vigorously, little did critics of the government know that as at today, the participation level of Nigerian-owned companies in the oil and gas sector has moved up to an impressive eighty-seven percent. While this might not mean so much to the man on the street, the fall-out of this is that about thirty thousand jobs have been created out of this. Speaking at a meeting, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Diezani said by asking companies to do the ‘right thing’, they have succeeded in getting more and more Nigerians to be involved in the oil and gas industry “just by insisting on using Nigerians in the industry, we have deepened the local supply chain.”
The minister said the jobs were generated in the engineering, fabrication, marine transportation, logistics and exploration and production sub-sectors of the oil and gas industry, and expressed optimism that the job growth would be sustained.
“I have no doubt that more jobs will be created in 2013 and we shall achieve greater localisation of the industry services, manufacturing and fabrication in 2013,” she said.
Alison-Madueke noted that the Nigerian content implementation had increased the level of participation of Nigerians in oil and gas contracts to 87 per cent. “The board has to a large extent achieved consensus in most aspects of Nigerian Content implementation to the extent that there has been no major dispute amongst stakeholders on interpretation of provisions of the Nigerian Content Law.”
Suddenly everything seems to be coming together under her leadership for the good of country. Now there is no denying the fact that she has done quite well; especially in the area of ensuring more local participation in the oil gas industry. Even if critics would never give her the credit.
Affia wrote in from London
