IN THE EYE of the storm of the recently repatriated $52.88m loot is a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke despite continuous denial that she was wrongly accused and witch-hunted by the Federal Government
She had in a statement called the shred of evidence and accusation of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission unsubstantial.
Alison-Madueke explained that one error that cannot be ascribed to me is “STEALING FROM NIGERIA & DEFRAUDING MY COUNTRY! It is therefore sad and distressing that despite all that I tried to do in the best interest of our Nation, I continue to be faced with constant demonisation, unproven accusations and deeply personal insults.”
Noting that she played her role as the Minister of Petroleum Resources, she denied ever defrauding the Federal Government.
“Let me re-state categorically as I have always maintained, for the record, I have NOT and WILL NEVER Steal Money from OR DEFRAUD the Federal Government of Nigeria. I am willing to respond to any charges brought against me that follow duly laid down procedures.
“As Minister of Petroleum Resources, I did not participate in any activity relating to financial payments on the Malabu matter, other than those statutorily mandated to the Minister of Petroleum Resources by the Petroleum Act.
“My role in this matter was purely a statutory, one as required by law in the Petroleum Act 3.”
Meanwhile, the recent repatriate fund allegedly came from the seizure of Galactica assets that were connected to Alison-Madueke and her associates.
On Friday, a team led by US Ambassador to Nigeria Mr. Richard Mills Jr. signed the Asset Return Agreement at the Federal Ministry of Justice headquarters in Abuja.
Signing the return agreement on behalf of the Federal Government, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi said the move was a major confirmation of President Bola Tinubu’s determination to create a Nigeria free from corruption.
While the event represented the culmination of stakeholders’ efforts to restore lost assets to Nigeria, Fagbemi remarked, it also demonstrated that available resources were allocated to Nigeria’s socioeconomic growth.
“Today, the execution of the Asset Return Agreement between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the United States of America concretises the repatriation of approximately USD 52.88m arising from the forfeiture of the Galactica assets, linked to the former Petroleum Resources Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke and her associates.
“The Asset Return Agreement being executed today also ensures that the returned assets are applied directly to developmental projects. As agreed, USD 50m of the repatriated funds will be utilised through the World Bank, to partly fund the Rural Electrification Project to increase the reliability and availability of renewable energy in Nigeria, while the balance of USD 2.88m will be disbursed as a grant by Nigeria to the International Institute for Justice to support the Rule of Law and Counter-Terrorism Project, through counter-terrorism capacity building for Criminal Justice Sector Practitioners in East, West, and North Africa Africa,” Fagbemi said.
The AGF further revealed that steps had been taken to guarantee that the World Bank and IIJ will not only distribute the repatriated monies but also use them in a transparent and accountable manner, with regular updates on the projects’ execution sent to the US and Nigeria.
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Responding to the AGF, Mills Jr. stated that he had complete faith that the Nigerian government would follow the decisions reached about the use of the funds; otherwise, the US government would not have given them back.
“We just returned almost $53 million in funds that were embezzled from Nigeria, and they will now be returned to the benefit of the Nigerian people,” he stated. According to the minister, this agreement represents a major turning point in the two governments’ continued cooperation in fighting corruption, enforcing the rule of law, and recovering the money that has been stolen from the Nigerian people and using it for the benefit of the country’s citizens.
Emphasising that there had been agreement on how to utilise the funding, Mills Jnr urged the federal government to adhere to the conclusions agreed upon or else the US government would not have returned the funds.
He said, “As you just heard, we just returned nearly $53m of funds corruptly taken from Nigeria, and they will be returned now to the benefit of the Nigerian people. This agreement marks a significant milestone as the minister said, in the ongoing collaboration between the two governments, in combating corruption, upholding the rule of law and recovering the stolen funds from the Nigerian people so that they can be returned to the benefits of the Nigerian people.”
“I have great confidence in the minister and his team to effectively monitor and ensure that indeed these funds are being used for the benefits of the Nigerian people we would not be signing this agreement if we do not have this confidence that this is how this returned funds will be used.”
