THE POLITICIAN OCTOBER 2013 | Page 46

female Executive Director of Shell Petroleum Nigeria. She is an exceptionally talented and highly astute woman with phenomenal interpersonal skills, whose gift of oratory has served the nation well as she represents us at conferences and strategic meetings all over the world. She has raised the Nigerian Oil and Gas sector to unheard of. The natural Gas industry is also about to be propelled to centre state as the honourable minister and her team prepare to begin extracting the 187 trillion cubic feet of Gas reserves sitting below the surface. A move that will create well over a million jobs over the next decade and bring revenues in excess of a trillion dollars into the country, revenues that will develop our nation and transform it into the “Singapore” of Sub-Saharan Africa. “giddy” heights and has shown the World that Nigeria isn’t just open for business, but that it is open for “ethical” business. As a nation, we have suffered from As a nation, we must learn to encourage our leaders the pens of unpatriotic journalists within our borders, and not just seek for ways to bring them down. If an Men and Women who profess to be Nigerian with elected/appointed official is found guilty of miscontheir lips but their works betray them. They have sold duct then by all means criticize them and bring them a highly “toxic” image of Nigeria to the outside world to order, but make sure that your criticism is based on and given our enemies ample ammunition with proven facts and not on idle speculation and prewhich to malign us as a people. There disposed prejudice, because words once Constructive critare so many Nigerians in differuttered cannot be retracted. . On the icism is highly effective other hand, when they’re found ent parts of the globe who are not involved in any form of if it’s just that “constructive”, to be doing what is right and criminal activity, and yet and the one’s being criticized un- fulfilling their ministerial their stories are never der such conditions are more likely obligations, we should also reported. trumpet that also. to listen and even implement the cri- We cannot just dwell pertique that you have given. But when petually on However, within the your words contain nothing but never reportthe negative and the positive Oil and Gas sector the abuse, insult, slander and charac- things that are taking place story is very different. because that only serves a Investors from all over the ter defamation then why in the destructive purpose and it hurts World would anybody take globe are flocking to Nigeour brand/image at home and ria to invest their hard earned you and your words abroad. money in this sector because of the seriously? competence and extraordinary integrity which Her Excellency the federal Minister of PetroConstructive criticism is highly effective if it’s just leum resources is endowed with. Her word is her bond that “constructive”, and the one’s being criticized under and she stands by them, contracts once ratified are such conditions are more likely to listen and even irrevocable and investors are confident of the fact that implement the critique that you have given. But when their financial investments are safe and their promised your words contain nothing but abuse, insult, slanROI’s are delivered. Integrity, integrity and more integ- der and character defamation then why in the World rity so help us God, this is what Mrs Deizani Alisonwould anybody take you and your words seriously? Madueke has brought to the table of the ministry of petroleum resources. Facebook used to be a forum that many of us used to enjoy logging unto and exchanging ideas, but in recent She can simply be trusted, and under her leadership times it has become a gutter, a place where human rats we have seen production levels rise from 1.8 million congregate to spew out their poison against anybody barrels of crude per day to 2.6 million. She oversaw who has any form of governmental position. Some of the signing of the Nigerian content act, a bill that will the comments on there are just ridiculous and I think allow every single Nigerian to benefit from the prothat the Facebook management board needs to look verbial “national cake” in ways that were previously into it urgently. I am an advocate of free speech but 32