LAGOS, Dec. 25 (Xinhua)-- Nigeria's Minister of Petroleum Resources Rilwanu Lukman flew out of the country to Vienna, Austria, in defiance of a ban on vacation until normalcy returned to the nation's oil and power sectors, local media reported on Friday.

The country's Vice President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday directed that some key ministers suspend any plans to travel and remain at their posts throughout the festivities until the restoration of normal supply of fuel and power.

Others affected by the order include Minister of State Petroleum Odein Ajumogobia, Minister of Power Lanre Babalola and Minister of State Nuhu Wya.

Dora Akunyili, the country's minister of information and communications, disclosed this to reporters in the capital Abuja at the end the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, noting that the federal government felt deeply concerned about the situation particularly at this time of the year.

Lukman left for Vienna abandoning the planned meetings to tackle the lingering fuel crisis. He has spent his Christmas and New Year vacation for years in the European city.