Diezani Alison-Madueke, Nigeria’s first and only woman to have served as a Minister of Petroleum Resources, may be inching towards incarceration in United Kingdom (UK) following the announcement by security authorities in that country that she has a bribery allegation case to answer after eight years of investigation
By Our Correspondent
Former Minister of Petroleum Resources and the first Nigerian woman to serve as the substantive minister of the oil and gas sector in Nigeria, Diezani Alison-Madueke, may have absconded Nigeria for eight years after former President Goodluck Jonathan was defeated in a reelection in 2015 by former President Muhammdu Buhari, but nemesis has still been waiting to catch up with her due to the alleged heinous crimes she committed while superintending over the affairs of that ministry, this time around in far away United Kingdom (UK).
Alison-Madueke was in charge of the Petroleum Resources Ministry between 2010 and 2015 under the government of Jonathan. The first woman president of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), had fled the country shortly after Buhari became Nigeria’s President and the administration began to unravel how she allegedly stole billions of naira belonging to the ministry. Part of her alleged loot was recovered by the Buhari administration.
However, the UK security authorities where she ran to hide from the Nigerian government under Buhari, had arrested her for alleged graft and money laundering, and granted her bail in October 2015. The UK National Crime Agency (NCA) which arrested Alison-Madueke also announced that it had in its dragnet five others arrested in connection with her alleged international corruption crime whom the agency would not disclose their identities.
On its part, the Buhari administration did also confirm the arrest of Alison-Madueke at the time and stated that the nation’s law enforcement agencies were in cooperation with their British counterparts to ensure that the former Minister would be brought to book.
Since the saga which many citizens in Nigeria may have forgotten due to the unenviable “Nigerian system”, Alison-Madueke, now 63 years old, has been living a quiet life in the upmarket St John’s Wood area of North London where she underwent Chemotherapy for breast cancer.
Now at the time many Nigerians have forgotten about the Alison-Madueke’s alleged looting of the country’s billions of naira oil money and moved on with their lives as it has always been with high profile corrupt cases in the country, the UK NCA came out with the surprise announcement that jolted many Nigerians on Tuesday, August 22, 2023, after eight years of painstaking investigation, that the woman has been found wanting, and has been charged to court for crimes relating to bribery while she served as Petroleum Resources Minister. According to the NCA Alison-Madueke will appear in court on October 2, 2023.
The Head of the NCA’s International Corruption Unit (ICU), Andy Kelly, said in a statement that Alison-Madueke has been found to have allegedly abused her office as minister by accepting financial rewards for multi-million pound contracts awarded by the ministry she headed.
Kelly said, “We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million pound contracts”.
The former Minister, according to the NCA did benefit allegedly from at least 100,000 pounds, an equivalent of $127,000 in cash, chauffeur-driven cars, flights on private jets, luxury holidays for her family as well as the use of multiple London properties.
The NCA further alleged in her charges of detailed financial rewards which include furniture, renovation work and properties for the staff, payment of private school fees as well as gift items from top designer shops such as Cartier jewellery and Louis Vuitton goods.
As part of the investigation, the NCA disclosed that in March 2023, assets worth millions of pounds belonging to the accused have also been frozen. The NCA said it had provided evidence to the United States (US) Department of Justice which would allow for the recovery of other assets belonging to Alison-Madueke in that country worth $53.1 million. The NCA job involves the investigation of international organised crimes.
