Here are five things you probably didn’t know about the embattled Nigeria’s former Minister of petroleum resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, before her ministerial appointment.
Academic prowess
Diezani completed her West African School Certificate Examination and was a recipient of the prestigious Chevening Scholarship.
She acquired a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture, from Howard University, USA in 1992 and a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) degree in 2002 at the Cambridge George Business School, UK.
Awarded honorary doctorate diploma by the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA) (the first woman ever awarded).
Career history and achievements
She occupied the following positions:
1992 – Joined Shell Petroleum Development Corporation and Architectural consultant
Head of Civil Infrastructures (SPDC)
1997 – Head of Corporate Issues and Crisis Management Unit (SPDC)
2004 – Lead Joint Ventures Representation Adviser (SPDC)
2006 – She was later appointed SPDC Executive Director (the first woman to ever occupy the position)
2007 – Minister, Transportation Ministry of Nigeria (the first female appointee).
2008 – Minister of Mines and Steel Development of Nigeria (first female appointee).
2010 – Became the first woman to lead a national delegation to an Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
2014 – Secretary-General of the OPEC (first and only female President)
She introduced the Nigerian Content Act, which allowed more contracts in the petroleum industry to be awarded to indigenous companies businesses and companies.
2015 – She was later appointed Commonwealth of Dominica Trade and Investment Commissioner
Background and family
Diezani is the third of six children of the late Ogbotom Edede of the Epie Atissa clan, HRH Frederick Abiye Agama, who was a senior staff in Shell Production and Development Company (SPDC) before he became a king in Nigeria’s oil-rich state, Bayelsa.
Her mother is HRH Beatrice Oyete Agama, sister to a retired Vice-Admiral, Festus Bikepere Porbeni. She is married to retired former Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Alison Madueke, and mother of one and stepmother to five.
Health condition
She was reportedly diagnosed with “the most aggressive form of breast cancer — Triple Negative Cancer” and had since then undergone intensive medical care and treatment including chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Top quotes
“I was born into the oil sector.”
“I worked my way up from a low position …spent 17 years in Shell Petroleum”
“There are no easy ways to get to the top. If there is an apparent shortcut to the top, it is the wrong cut. It would certainly not be sustainable.”
“When a woman breaks through a barrier, she opens possibilities for every woman.”
“We need to also ensure that we have an enhancement of our skills and abilities in a bid to ensure that we have even more to offer.”
“Obviously, it isn’t a pleasant situation. The present administration is doing everything possible to combat the issues of corruption. Even the issue of crude theft is a corruption issue. It is very difficult to instil changes as quickly as we’re trying to instil them.”
“The political scene in Nigeria is very brutal. You can either stand your ground and fight or move out of the scene.”
