By Clara Nwachukwu
Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Dr. Rilwanu Lukman, has pledged continued support for Nigeria’s oil and gas industry for the benefit of the overall economy.

Lukman, made the pledge to members of the Nigerian delegation to the 157th Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC Conference, which recently ended in Vienna, Austria, according to a statement by the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Department, Dr Levi Ajuonuma.

The statement also quoted Lukman as commending the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs  Diezani Alison_Madueke, who led the delegation “for steering the Nigeria oil and gas industry towards the path of transformation and sustainably growth,” while also expressing the confidence that the incumbent minister “is capable of taking the industry to greater heights.”

Lukman said, “Let me say that the minister is doing a very good job. And from what I hear from my colleagues in OPEC they are very much impressed with the way she has carried herself and her performance.

There is no doubt that the minister is an asset to the industry and I am sure she will do well and make our country proud.”

“From the international point of view, Nigeria is a key player in the oil market and OPEC as you know, will continue to look up to Nigeria. So much falls on the shoulders of the honourable minister and I am sure she is strong enough to deliver the goods. The minister needs all the support of relevant stakeholders in the industry and if there is anything I can do to support from anywhere I am, I will not hesitate to do so,” he stated.

Responding, Alison-Madueke thanked Lukman for his invaluable contributions to the growth of the oil and gas industry and pledged to tap from his vast reservoir of experience and professionalism.

She said, “Nigeria today has a mono_ product economy, oil and gas is what we have stood on for years and will continue to stand on for years to come. So it is critical that we learn from veterans like Dr. Lukman, not just the secrets of our past, but the creative measure that we need to succeed in our future endeavour and that’s what the meeting is about.

We are grateful with what he has done not only for the oil and gas sector, but to other sectors that he has traversed and we hope to collaborate with him.”

Alison_Madueke has been commended for achievements in the areas of transformation, the Nigerian content Act, push for the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill, the implementation of the Gas Master Plan and improved relations with critical stakeholders.

Also, the minister has been hailed for improved supply and distribution of petroleum products nationwide, serious attention to issues of gas supply to power plants, issues of attraction of new investors to generate employment opportunities for Nigerians, improvement in the domestic usage of LPG, renewal of oil exploration activities in the Chad Basin and commitment to transparency in the industry among other laudable accomplishments.