Group Urges Critics Of Petroleum Minister to desist from Blind Criticism

Posted by African Examiner Latest Headlines, News Wednesday, April 2nd, 2014

A group, All Niger Delta Peoples Congress (ANDPC), has berated critics of the Petroleum Minister, Mrs Diezani Allison Maduakwe for acting as if they were commissioned to pull down the Minister at all costs.

The group said criticisms of the Minister have suddenly become acerbic and sustained as attackers often go personal in their presentations.

It said none of the critics had ever taken into consideration efforts by the Minister to turn around the fortune of the Oil and gas sector in Nigeria.

All Niger Delta group admonished critics to always be constructive in their assessment of the government activities and those and its agencies.

Such they said would speak well of Nigerians as a people who have come of age, given the attention the international community has started placing on the country.

It expressed conviction that the sworn critics of the Petroleum Minister were mainly those who lost out in different biddings for oil blocs as well marketers who it said had been prevented from cutting corners at the expense of Nigerians.

The group in a statement signed by its Global Chairman, Prince Alaboso Joejim, and the North America President, George Aninbowei, expressed regrets that only a negligible percentage of Nigerians appreciate the ongoing-reforms ascribed to Diezani for repositioning the oil and gas sector in Nigeria.

It said rather than for critics to focus attention on the necessity of ensuring early passage and implementation of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) meant to address the anomaly in the oil and gas sector, they have been immersed in blind criticism of the Minister for selfish reasons.

The Statement read, “We are not surprised at the blind criticisms against Diezani. Successive Petroleum Ministers had faced similar dilemma of spurious attacks from traducers.

“Critics in the days of Professor Tam David West were so crass that the only accusation they could file for his fructification was that the former Minister once exchanged oil blocs just for a brand of gold wrist watch.

“It is unthinkable that critics were making a mountain out a mole hill over the use of aircrafts for the NNPC operations.

“The Ministry of Petroleum had owned up to the lawmaking arm of government as the aircraft owners. But that regrettably never mattered to those who just wanted the Minister out of the way at all costs, while closing eyes to the good she has been doing for the country.

“It is high time we began to note in Nigeria that the idea of pull-them-down syndrome would never augur well for the country. And on this note, we urge the sworn enemies of the Petroleum Minister to have a change of heart moving to the next scale of engagement rather than focusing very bad gaze on individuals who have committed themselves to the good of the country.

NDPC, however, indicated resolve to hold a talk-shop on the PIB for Nigerians to appreciate the need for a thorough reform in the oil and gas sector, as well as drawing attention to the improvements being recorded in the sector under the current leadership in the Petroleum Ministry