EXCLUSIVE: Deziani Set To Resign As Oil Minister, Sets Eyes On OPEC Secretary General Job

BEVERLY HILLS, CA, June 10, (THEWILL) - Nigeria's Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Deziani Alison-Madueke is seeking to take up the influential position of Secretary General of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and will resign her Ministerial appointment once the cartel announces her appointment, THEWILL can report.

If her push is successful, she will become the first female Secretary General of the organization which is currently occupied by Libyan Abdalla Salem el-Badri, whose tenure ended in 2012 but has continued to serve because the group has been unable to agree on his replacement.

Nigeria is seeking to include her nomination as Secretary General on the agenda of OPEC's semiannual meeting scheduled for Wednesday.

THEWILL gathered from the Nigerian delegation to OPEC which arrived in Vienna over the weekend that Mrs. Alison-Madueke's name has been forwarded to other member countries for support just as a robust lobbying campaign has been intensified.

A report in The Wall Street Journal citing delegates said Mrs. Alison-Madueke has met oil ministers from Iraq, Libya and the United Arab Emirates to seek their support and understanding. Her delegation has also approached Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Before the delegation left Nigeria, THEWILL understands that the Minister and her team also met with top diplomatic personnel of member countries in Nigeria.

As Nigeria's Petroleum Minister under the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, Mrs. Alison-Madueke has pushed for the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), a legislation that is expected to radically change for good the operations in the oil and gas sector.