Anti-Graft War: Diezani Alison-Madueke: How Much Did She Steal From The Nigerian People?
Those who know former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, in person say she is a tough lady to follow. But not a few Nigerians are now finding it tougher to follow the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as it updates the country on humongous cash in various currencies, choice properties in upscale areas of some states and Abuja as well as expensive jewelleries allegedly being recovered from the former petroleum minister.
Others are 13 housing units of three bedrooms terrace houses with one- room maid’s quarters en suite per unit, located at Mabushi Gardens Estate, Plot 1205 Cadastral Zone B06 Mabushi, Abuja; 6 flats of 3 bedrooms and one boys quarters each, lawn tennis court, gym, matured garden and its appurtenances located at Plot 808 (135) Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos; and 15-storey building, which comprises 18 flats and six penthouses at Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos, valued at $37.5m or N11.75 billion.
“A search of one of Alison-Madueke’s palatial residences in Abuja, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, turned up boxes of gold, silver and diamond jewellery, worth several million pounds sterling,” the EFCC claimed.
“Honesty, it is surreal to me even though I’m used to seeing both high volume of cash and figures on my job. I find it hard to wrap my head around these things we hear being traced to Diezani,” a banker who does not want his name in print told The Dream Daily newspaper.
While the EFCC is reportedly working with the British authorities to extradite the former petroleum minister to Nigeria to stand trial, curiously the anti-graft agency recently successfully opposed Alison-Madueke’s bid seeking to be joined as a defendant in the trial of one of her alleged associates, Mr. Jide Omokore, for alleged $1.6bn oil scam.
In dismissing Alison-Madueke’s bid, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court Abuja also struck out the eighth count in which her name was listed.
Counsel to Alison-Madueke, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, had on September 18 filed the application, based on the fact that her name was listed in the eighth count, and sought for amendment of the charge, to include her as the seventh defendant, “in order to give her the opportunity to defend herself”.
Interestingly, in the dismissed application, Alison-Madueke had also requested that the court direct the Attorney-General of theFederation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, to facilitate her appearance in court on the next adjourned date in October 2017.
But according to a statement by the EFCC, Counsel for the anti-graft agency, M.S. Abubakar, “in an 18-paragraph counter-affidavit, vehemently opposed the application,” arguing that, “the applicant realized she was being investigated, and she absconded abroad and sometimes in March this year operatives were in London, but her lawyers refused to allow the operatives interview her”.
Has Buhari done enough to prevent corruption?
While many ordinary Nigerians who spoke with The Dream Daily commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his anti-corruption fight, a number of them scored the President low on “setting up a systemic mechanism to prevent anybody from ‘doing a Diezani’ in the future.” Nigerians also appeared distrustful of claims by government spokesperson that corruption has been decimated under the current administration.
Speaking to this in an interview, a former Minister of National Planning, Prof. Abubakar Suleiman, said: “I have not seen any measure or policy put in place or any mechanism put in place by the government of the day to re-orientate Nigerians on corrupt practices. Under Buhari’s military government, we had the War Against Indiscipline. Under (Gen. Sani) Abacha, we had War on Corruption. Is there any mechanism put in place by the government of the day either via public information system on corrupt practices? Is there any genuine crusade to address corruption? Have the members of the National Assembly stopped their attitude of ‘contractocracy’? Has padding of the budget reduced? Have they addressed that?
On the surfeit of allegations against Alison-Madueke, Prof. Suleiman: “I cannot speak for Diezani. You must know that Jonathan inherited her from (Olusegun) Obasanjo and (Umaru) Yar’Adua’s governments. She has not spoken on most of these allegations. She has not appeared before any court of law to defend herself, so it would be unfair on my own side to speak on whether she is guilty or not.
Also, an office worker in Abuja, Timi James said: “They (government) are just lying to us. Corruption is still everywhere in this country. Go to government office, police station, VIO, Road Safety, everywhere, judges, corruption is still going on. If you say there is not corruption, what of the (former Secretary to the Government of the Federation) SGF case? Even (National Bureau of Statistics) NBS said so in the news”.