Former presidential spokesman Laolu Akande has urged former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, to return to Nigeria and face the corruption allegations against her following her recent acquittal by a London court.
Akande made the call during an interview monitored by Politics Nigeria on Friday, describing the UK court’s decision as “exciting news” but insisting that it does not resolve the cases pending against the former minister in Nigeria.
He noted that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) still has ongoing cases against Alison-Madueke, including court-ordered forfeitures of several of her assets.
“It’s an exciting news. And she should come home and get these matters sorted. She should go through the EFCC cases against her for which quite a significant portion of her properties have been forfeited,” Akande said.
“I think the time is now ripe for her to come and defend herself in her own country and let’s see where the pendulum goes.”
Alison-Madueke, who served as petroleum minister under former President Goodluck Jonathan, has been the subject of multiple corruption investigations in Nigeria and abroad since leaving office in 2015.
Akande argued that the ruling of the London court should not be seen as the final determination of the allegations relating to her tenure, particularly those connected to Nigeria’s oil sector.
According to him, serious questions remain over the controversial strategic alliance agreements entered into by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) during her time in office.
He alleged that the arrangement involved the sale of crude oil worth about $3 billion without the payment of royalties or taxes.
“The fact that cannot be denied is that while she was Minister of Petroleum Resources, there was this strategic alliance that was entered into by the NPDC… where oil worth $3 billion was sold without any kind of payment or royalties or taxes,” he said.
Akande further claimed that while serving in the Presidency, officials gathered evidence linking Alison-Madueke and two other Nigerians to the controversial transactions.
He maintained that if the former minister believes her acquittal vindicates her, she should return home to clear her name through Nigeria’s judicial process.
“If the UK court has not been able to convict her of corruption-related charges, now she feels justified that she didn’t do anything wrong, then I want to encourage her, come home and defend your name,” he said.
He added that allowing the Nigerian courts to determine the outstanding EFCC cases would help bring closure to one of the country’s most prominent corruption cases.
