Senator Nkechi Nwaogu and Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke, two women involved in oil and gas sector management are set to engage each other in a battle of wits today. UCHENNA AWOM, presents the issues at the base and what might likely be the outcome of the fight in the Senate.
Two women will square out today in what promises to be an epic battle between the executive and the legislature.
The two arms of government before now enjoyed chubby, rub my back I rub yours kind of relationship.
But the Senate Committee Chairman on Gas Resources,Nkechi Nwaogu and her committee is set to grill the Petroluem Resources Minister, Mrs.Diezani Allison-Madueke.
Alison-Madueke will lead her team of oil and gas experts to the Senate Committee room for what promise to be a robust engagement. Chances are the after the sitting, that relationship between the two arms of government may head for the rocks. The seat may be too hot for the amiable oil minister after all.
The crux of the matter is budget; issues arising from somecontract infraction, and financial shortfalls which require explanation.
Senator Nwaogu is fuming. She and her team are angry and understandably so over the failure of Madueke to appear before the committee last Tuesday to defend the ministry’s budget.
The minister was expected to make clarifications on the revenue profile of the much harangued and less trusted Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
According to the committee, the woman was billed to shed light on the government’s gas policy and its potentials as big revenue source for the country.‘‘Madueke was also supposed to talk on gas flaring and how her ministry plans to enforce compliance and the law on zero gas flaring, but she ignored us, may be we are not what her while. On Monday, we shall meet and Nigerians will see us,’’ Senator Nwaogu said.
Madueke had written the Gas Committee that she would be in far away Davos, Switzerland to attend an international meeting at the period of the budget defence meeting.
“It is not true. She is in Nigeria, infact she was sited within the premises of National Assembly”, an obviously enraged Nwaogu retorted.
So what is scaring the minister away? Could it be because she was yet to balance her records or because she is yet to recover from the heat generated from the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee probing subsidy palaver? The fiery Hon. Farouk Lawan heads the committee.
Well, the minister is yet to respond at least publicity to the committee’s complaints. Sources however, revealed that she may have reached out to the senator before today’s meeting. One thing that is clear is that the cordiality expected of such high profile meeting may be missing.
But Madueke may not want to engage in brick bat as doing so will rather add to the already hard times, the oil industry is facing currently. It is also believed that the minister may simply stoop to conquer another day so that the anti-NNPC sentiment will mellow down before she teaches Nkechi lesson!
Aside the subsidy removal, the chilling and mind-boggling revelations at the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee probe have deepened Nigerians’ distrust and hatred for NNPC and Madueke.‘‘No sane person not to talk of a smart minister like Madueke who is eying the future will gamble,’’ a source said.
So addingNkechi’s or any woman senator’s fight for that matter to her worries may be one trouble too many. But those who know the flamboyant minister say she is a proud woman. They also swear that she can’t sacrifice her pride on the alter of political expediency. Anyway, wait and see, remains the best attitude as the meeting goes on.
But who blinks first would ultimately be determined by wise counseling between the two accomplished but fiercely opposed amazons in the current government.
Either way, political analysts contend that the senator must be careful in tackling the minister except if she has forgotten that Maduekeis a sacred cow in the hallowed gamut of President Goodluck Jonathan government. Secondly, the senator must remember that there is an appeal at the Supreme Courton her controversial election.
Caution, observers insist must be the senator’s watch word. Yes, because in Nigeria, the Executive Arm can change man to women literally speaking. Examples abound in Nigeria.
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