Jonathan, Atiku: We owe him huge debt of gratitude
President Goodluck Jonathan has lamented over the death of former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Alhaji Rilwanu Lukman, describing his passing as a great national loss.
Presidential spokesman, Reuben Abati, in a statement yesterday, quoted Jonathan as saying that Nigeria would always owe the deceased a huge debt of gratitude for his very significant contributions to the development of the country’s oil and gas industry as well as for serving with acclaimed distinction as the nation’s representative at the Organisation of Oil Exporting Countries (OPEC) for many years.
Abati said the president commiserated with the deceased’s family, the government and people of Kaduna State as well as his friends, associates and all those he mentored over the years in the domestic and global oil industry.
He said Jonathan shared their sorrow as they mourned “the brilliant engineer, technocrat and administrator who spent almost all of his working life serving his country and the global community in various capacities including Minister, Special Adviser, Secretary-General and President of the OPEC”.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in his condolence described Lukman, as the best oil minister Nigeria has had yet.
The former Vice President said this in a statement issued by his media office in Abuja yesterday.
“I will describe (Rilwan) Lukman as the best oil minister we ever had given his unmatched knowledge of the industry and the integrity with which he ran the ministry,” Atiku stated.