N2.8b Vanished Under Buhari's Nose - Diezani

Diezani Alison-Madueke, the former petroleum minister, who is undergoing treatment for cancer in London, has said that Nigeria has a well-recorded history of maligning its oil ministers. The former minister in the interview granted to the Dele Momodu’s The Boss newspaper, stated that even President Muhammadu Buhari as an oil minister (1976-1978) under the then head of state Olusegun Obasanjo was blamed for a N2.8 billion scam when the amount disappeared from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corpration’s (NNPC) Midlands Bank account in the UK. Diezani said: “Everyone agrees that Muhammadu Buhari is a man of unquestionable character and impeccable pedigree yet it was alleged that N2.8billion vanished under his nose. Fela even sang about this humongous disappearance. Till this day no one has been able to prove that the then Major General Buhari stole a kobo.” She also listed other ex-ministers who have been belittled including Prof. Tam David West. The ex-oil minister claimed that the allegations of corruption against her are false, restating that as a technocrat with the necessary experience at Shell she was used to keeping proper accounts. She suggested that during her time as a petroleum boss she knew she stepped on some powerful toes both at home and abroad just to ensure that Nigerians got the best agreement. Alison-Madueke was oil minister under ex-president Goodluck Jonathan from 2010 until earlier this year when he was defeated in the election by Muhammadu Buhari. The former minister has been blamed for large-scale fraud in the management of the country’s multi-billion-dollar oil wealth but denied any wrong doing. Muhammadu Buhari swore in his 36-member cabinet and appointed himself as the head of powerful petroleum ministry on November 11, Wednesday.