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Southern Kaduna Wants Diezani-Alison Sacked, Says Minister Runs Nigeria’s Oil As Personal Estate

“To our chagrin, this Minister has changed, in just four years, four GMDs as she is now working with the 5th GMD which is drawing the ire of many concerned citizens, as this minister is wasting the country’s lean resources spent in training these high caliber professionals. The appointment of the present GMD smacks of mischief and suspicion as he has retired but has now been contracted to stay on obviously to do the minister’s bidding!”

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Gurara Forum, an association of Southern Kaduna people, has reacted to last week’s sacking of Mr. Andrew Yakubu as Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) by calling for the removal of the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke.

At a press conference on Thursday, they expressed regret that the Minister now manages Nigeria’s oil as an extension of her personal estate, pointing out that she is now on her 5th GMD in four years. 

 “We have hitherto been unbelieving of the rumours making the rounds that the government of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has been hijacked and pocketed by the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezeni Alison-Madueke,” their leader, Vincent Bodam, said, adding that they have now been forced to believe those rumours.

They argued that Mr. Yakubu was in a no-love-lost situation with the Minister, but that it is established that the former GMD did very well to inject professionalism into the NNPC.

“To our chagrin, this Minister has changed, in just four years, four GMDs as she is now working with the 5th GMD which is drawing the ire of many concerned citizens, as this minister is wasting the country’s lean resources spent in training these high caliber professionals.  The appointment of the present GMD smacks of mischief and suspicion as he has retired but has now been contracted to stay on obviously to do the minister’s bidding!”

Bodam underlined that Alison-Madueke is the longest serving Minister Nigeria has ever seen, but that she has clocked eight years in office with nothing but ominous and incessant controversies to show for it.

“We in Southern Kaduna view this replacement as a challenge and a dishonor considering our block voting pattern to the ruling party since 1999,” he warned.  “Nigerians deserve to know the basis for the constant replacements of GMDs at the corporation. This minister cannot run a nation’s asset like her personal estate which obviously is with the full backing and support of Mr. President!”

The group further said that the inexplicable aberration in the Ministry is an embarrassment to all well-meaning Nigerians.  It therefore called on Mr. Jonathan to sack the Minister immediately as has been demanded by many concerned Nigerians before now, as the general feeling is that she has hijacked this administration to the detriment of the country at large.