- Diezani Accuses Jonathan of Dumping Her in High-Wire Survival Plots.
- UK Probes Omokore, Diezani links in Massive Funds Transfers…
- How Danjuma, Abdulsalami, Gusau Intervened on Jonathan’s Behalf
By The New Diplomat’s Economic Intelligence Desk
Following extensive investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as well as the United Kingdom’s Financial Intelligence Unit(FIU) within the British National Crime Agency(NCA) into allegations of massive corruption reportedly perpetrated by former Petroleum Resources Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, allegedly using several fronts including one Jide Omokore and his Atlantic Energy Drilling Company, the former Minister has accused former President Goodluck Jonathan of dumping her in a high-wire survival plots.
Competent sources close to both the EFCC and the British Financial Intelligence Unit(FIU) within the NCA confided in The New Diplomat at the weekend in London that the ex-Minister of Petroleum Resources, Alison-Madueke specifically accused Jonathan of negotiating only his ‘’ immunity and survival from prosecution by the Nigerian Government.”
The source revealed: “Diezani Alison-Madueke is very bitter and terribly angry with her former boss, former President Goodluck Jonathan. She has openly protested that Jonathan abandoned her in the midst of these probes and investigations. She told us when our team once quizzed her that most of what she did were with the full consent and approval of the President. But the only difficulty we could not establish was actually if there were Presidential approvals for most of the funds and Oil deals her Ministry executed, which in our preliminary findings, amount to clear breach of the laws of Nigeria and related Laws of the UK. Yes, certain funds found their ways illicitly into offshore areas that they were not supposed to. So we are looking at all these leads for now…’’
The New Diplomat’s investigations reveal that as soon as it became clear that he had lost out in his re-election bid, Jonathan was said to have approached some key retired Generals and a former Head of State, to help broker a safe-landing deal with the in-coming General Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. Among those he approached and who reportedly intervened on the former President’s behalf include former Chief of Army Staff and one time Minister of Defence, General T-Y, Danjuma(rtd), former Head of State, General Abdulalami Abubakar and former National Security Adviser and Minister of Defence, Lt-General Gusau. Said an insider; ’’ General T.Y. Danjuma and General Abdulsalami played very helpful roles in terms if interceding on the former President’s behalf. Another figure we learnt who was also helpful in the discussions was General Gusau….”
The source added that Diezani had hoped that Jonathan would also do same for her and some of her colleagues who are facing various investigations by the EFCC and the FIU of the UK for various alleged cases of fraud. One of the cases being investigated is the alleged links between both Mr Jide Omokore and Mr Kola Aluko (both of Atlantic Energy) and the reported movement of funds from Atlantic Energy to certain offshore accounts. Sources said the investigations is to further establish ‘’the nexus between Atlantic Energy’s Mr Jide Omokore, Kola Aluko and Diezani Alison-Madueke in all of these offshore deals and money transfers and where the funds ended up.”
It was gathered that part of Diezani and Omokore’s alleged financial crime is the reported breach of business ethics and laws by Omokore’s led Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Limited’s outright failure to remit about N81.6bn to the Nigerian Government’s treasury, sums which accrued to the Federal Government in form of royalty from a signed Strategic Alliance Agreement(SAA) entered into between the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company(NPDC) and Omokore’s led Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts Limited during the period Diezani held sway as the ‘’goddess” of the Nigerian Oil Industry. And the transfer of various sums to various offshore accounts.
The unremitted sums by Omokore and Aluko reportedly run into about $2bn(USD) It would be recalled that the SAA deal which was allegedly masterminded and supervised by Alison-Madueke as Minister of Petroleum Resources saw Omokore’s company taking charge of what industry experts described as key and vital national asset. Others in the deal were OML 26 FHN, OML 30 Shoreline; OML 34 Niger Delta Oil; OML 42 Niconde.
Under the arrangement, Omokore’s Atlantic Energy which experts described as a mere ‘’brief-case company” was to provide funds, technical services, drill and sell crude oil and remit due entitlements to NPDC. But as soon as the deal sailed through, Omokore , Aluko and Diezani allegedly went hay-wire. For example, it was learnt that in 2012, Omokore’s Atlantic Energy lifted crude Oil totaling about three million barrels valued at well over $350m but only paid $168m to the Federal Government Account. Atlantic Energy transferred the remaining $182m offshore into various accounts. Again, in 2013 financial year, the EFCC uncovered startling facts in the course of its investigations that Atlantic Energy lifted crude Oil valued at $240m but reportedly paid only $68m to the National Treasury leaving a balance of $172m which it wired abroad. Not-withstanding this, Diezani further granted Omokore’s company, Atlantic Energy, another set of SAA during Jonathan’s last years in government. The new SAA covered four blocks, namely OML 60, OML 61, OML 62 and OML 63. In this later years, Omokore and Aluko’s promoted companies simply went crazy. In clear and unambiguous breach of the SAA, Diezani’s business allies-Omokore and Aluko- were said to have received funds from NPDC, lifted crude and vanished with the cash as they never paid a dime to NPDC as signature bonus. Yet they lifted crude Oil valued cumulatively at $800m at the tail end of the Jonathan’s administration.
Said an insider: “ Both Diezani, Jonathan should be in jail. Despite Oil being found in the Niger Delta region …Remember the endless battles we fought over resource control and Jonathan and Diezani got to the top cheaply and they forgot that people fought, went to jail and even toiled to secure a rightful bargain for the Niger Delta Region. That they both handed these prized assets to one Jide Omokore and Kola Aluko to squander and loot is the height of irresponsibility.
“Tell me which Niger Delta person Jonathan or Diezani empowered like that? On Omokore’s part, he should be sent to the UK to face the FIU investigations when the EFCC is through with him. What is happening is that the FIU is trying to track where these offshore transfers ended up… So far, far-reaching findings that implicates high-level people including Diezani, are being established now as we speak..”
