The demonization of Diezani

Giving Alison-Madueke a bad name for political gains may seem an act of local misdemeanour on the part of her enemies, but the ripple effects are not limited to the national stage. Indeed, Nigerians are the ones made to suffer in this discrediting plot. The confidence of foreign investors is bound to be shaken, with […]

Giving Alison-Madueke a bad name for political gains may seem an act of local misdemeanour on the part of her enemies, but the ripple effects are not limited to the national stage. Indeed, Nigerians are the ones made to suffer in this discrediting plot. The confidence of foreign investors is bound to be shaken, with the country’s position on the perception of corruption index unflattering. Yet, for all the stridency with which these attacks on the leadership of the Nigerian oil authorities is conducted and the multiplicity of fronts from which the missiles are launched, none of the wicked – even if always salacious – allegations have been conclusively proven.
Even more tragically, the opposition has blindly taken side with the agents of malicious campaign against the amiable woman. The big relief, however, is that the individual members of the club of Diezani bashers all stand discredited, considering their antecedents.
Suspended Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, alleged that the NNPC had not remitted $49.8 billion into the Federation Account. Shortly, he claimed that the unremitted funds, which had stood at $10.8 billion after reconciliation, are now $20 billion, a claim which the NNPC has since disputed with documentary evidence.
Now, let’s visit the issue of chartered aircraft used by the petroleum ministry, NNPC and its subsidiaries for its operations. In continuation of the coordinated plot, agents have gone to town with reports that the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Alison-Madueke has not only used the said chartered aircraft for official matters, but also private trips. They have also sensationally alleged unsettling costs of maintaining the said chartered aircraft. For the record, which top government official doesn’t use chartered aircraft when the need arises?
The NNPC has stated that the practice is common and acceptable in the local and international business environment in which it operates. “There is nothing prohibiting the NNPC from owning or chartering an aircraft,” the Corporation’s spokesman, Omar Ibrahim has stated. For now, the matter is before the House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Indeed, the country will be keenly watching the manner in which the Committee and indeed the entire House carries out its probe of the matter. But if history is to repeat itself, Nigerians can expect an exercise by the House of Representatives executed in the best interest of the country. It must be devoid of sensationalism, politics, external manipulation and any foul play.
One may quickly ask: Just who is after the head of Alison-Madueke, a strong-willed woman who, with her hard-earned credentials, should otherwise be encouraged and celebrated? In other climes, as with the examples of the US and the Rices (Condoleezza and Susan) or Christine Lagarde (France), to give just two instances, Diezani would be a respected personage. It is therefore curious that some persons would make it a duty (for whatever reasons) to malign her person, work and sponsor unsubstantiated allegations against her.
In the long-term, stakeholders have called for the unbundling of the NNPC‎, a key objective of the controversial Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB). The Bill, put mildly, has suffered a heavy dose of delays since its introduction. The seventh legislative session undoubtedly chases history if it can see through the successful passage of the hugely anticipated Bill. The ambitious PIB, which seeks to redirect Nigeria’s oil sector, has been years in the making and several other versions have been inconclusively debated by the National Assembly.
Allison-Madueke had stated that the PIB has been unduly politicised and personalised in many quarters. She insists that the PIB provides a win-win situation for oil companies, the federal government and relevant stakeholders. The petroleum minister stated at a legislative hearing last year that the PIB, if passed, will be fully operational in approximately seven years and that, contrary to notions in select quarters, the PIB has reduced the powers of the petroleum minister.
Alison-Madueke has supported the discontinuation of the subsidy on the grounds that it “poses a huge financial burden on the government, disproportionately benefits the wealthy, [and] encourages inefficiency, corruption and diversion of scarce public resources away from investment in critical infrastructure.” Well, does the position make economic sense? That is not a popular position to take, but it’s a position she is entitled to take in a democratic environment. Indeed a person in a position of responsibility is no less entitled to take a position on any matter – however sensitive – without being perpetually subjected to vilification.
Bello is Executive Director of Abuja-based Transparency Network, a non-profit organisation.