In her first major public reaction to media scrutiny about her tenure as Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke yesterday, said that she has been persecuted by those she called ‘cabals in the oil industry’ who were not happy about the reforms she had introduced into the sector in the overall interest of majority of Nigerians.

And for those peddling rumours that she was seeking asylum for yet-to-be identified offences, the minister said they would be disappointed. Blaming such reports on agents of international oil cabals who, she said have been disallowed from milking the country dry, using their local agents.

The minister said she had no intention of going anywhere, because she has not committed any crime.

She has also decried insinuations that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was delaying to remit to government the $1.48 billion (N294.5 billion) uncovered by a recent forensic audit, adding that remittance had started.

Fielding questions from State House correspondents when she emerged from the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan, Alison-Madueke, who is also the first female President of Oil roducing Exporting Countries (OPEC), particularly faulted the observation of the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) last week that the NNPC was yet to comply with the directive to remit the $1.48 billion identified by the Price Water House Copper (PWC) forensic audit into the Federation Account.

She said the corporation had indeed, started remittance.

Her words: “The PriceWaterHouseCopper (PWc) forensic audit that was done few weeks ago in its recommendation, mentioned that $1.48 billion was owed by Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) for a block that had hitherto been assigned from the NNPC to NPDC which is its subsidiary.

They felt that the right process would be that NPDC will refund the money to the Federation Account. And NPDC has apparently started the refund and it is also in discussion with NNPC and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) on same. So the refund has actually begun.”

On the allegation that she has been running from pillar to post, including seeking the assistance of former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar to save and protect herself from some of the actions she took, Alison-Madueke dismissed the report, noting that Abubakar himself had addressed the matter sufficiently.

She said: “I have not sought such any assistance because I am not aware that I have been indicted of any crime that I will require a soft landing. Over the last four years, I have been severally and unfortunately accused and labelled in so many malicious and vindictive ways. I have explained these things and pushed back robustly on these accusations and I have even gone to court on many of them. Yet they keep being regurgitated.