Come home, it’s time to clear your name, Akande tells Diezani

Former presidential aide Laolu Akande has urged former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, to return to Nigeria and answer the corruption allegations against her following her acquittal by a London court. Speaking on Sunrise Daily on Channels Television on Friday, Akande described the development in the United Kingdom as “exciting news” but insisted that […]

Former presidential aide Laolu Akande has urged former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, to return to Nigeria and answer the corruption allegations against her following her acquittal by a London court.
Speaking on Sunrise Daily on Channels Television on Friday, Akande described the development in the United Kingdom as “exciting news” but insisted that the former minister still has unresolved legal matters with Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

“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 faced multiple corruption investigations both in Nigeria and abroad since leaving office in 2015.

The EFCC has secured several court-ordered forfeitures of assets linked to the former minister, while Nigerian authorities have repeatedly sought her extradition.

Akande argued that the London court’s decision should not be interpreted as the final word on allegations surrounding her tenure in office, especially those relating to Nigeria’s oil sector.

According to him, there remain significant questions over controversial oil transactions carried out during her stewardship of the petroleum ministry.

“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 – an arm of the NNPC – where oil worth $3 billion was sold without any kind of payment or royalties or taxes under the scheme that was called strategic alliance,” he said.

The former presidential spokesman recalled that during his time in the Presidency, officials gathered evidence suggesting that Alison-Madueke and two other Nigerians played central roles in the controversial oil arrangement.

“And, while we were in the Villa, we were able to gather enough evidence to indicate that Alison-Madueke and two other Nigerians were those who were actively involved in those ‘strategic alliance’ selling $3 billion oil. This was a time where oil was selling over $100 to $120 per barrel,” he stated.

The strategic alliance agreements between the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) and private firms have long been the subject of public scrutiny and allegations of financial impropriety, with critics arguing that the arrangements deprived the country of substantial revenues.

Akande maintained that Alison-Madueke now has an opportunity to clear her name by submitting herself to the Nigerian 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.

Akande stressed that allowing the former minister to face the EFCC cases in Nigeria would provide an opportunity for the courts to determine the merits of the allegations and help bring closure to one of the country’s most high-profile corruption controversies.