Petroleum Minister Asked to Defend Alleged 2 Billion Naira She Spent on Private Jets

The Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) in Bayelsa State has asked the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, to explain her alleged involvement in the wasteful spending of N2 billion on chartered jets for official and private trips abroad in the last two years.

In a statement issued yesterday in Yenagoa, the state capital, CLO Chairman, Nengi James, asked the minister to offer her explanation within a week as her silence may mean a disgraceful admittance of guilt.

While noting that the petition against the minister on the frivolous expenses was before the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), James said civil society organizations were concerned on the allegation.


According to the chairman, civil society groups were worried that Allison- Madueke alleged involvement in the N2 billion saga did not hamper the advocacy for the passage of the Petroleum Industrial Bill (PIB) and the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.

He said: “We expected her to use her good office to ensure the passage of the PIB and not frivolous spending. We know that the move to ensure the passage of the PIB will attract attempts on her person.
We were not expecting such level of fraudulent spending. To save the PIB, the CLO will want to insist that she explains her involvement within a week.

“The minister should use her explanation to assure the people of the Niger Delta and the civil Society groups of her innocence and confidence as the Petroleum Minister.”

James said if the minister failed to clear the air on the allegation, the civil society groups would mobilise against her. CLO, however, accused politicians of frustrating effort by the government to combat oil theft in the Niger Delta.

James said that he was always disappointed when the oil theft was blamed on common people. He said: “I am always disappointed when they say that the common people in the Niger Delta are those involved in oil theft.

This is a fallacy; the real thieves are politicians who use the ordinary persons as fronts. It is time the security agents went beyond rhetoric and go for the real culprits.”

The CLO boss urged security agents to desist from aiding oil thieves sabotaging the nation’s economy. James asked the Federal Government to tackle the causes of restiveness in the Niger Delta.
He identified some of the causes as underdevelopment, oil politics and poverty.