Nigeria Presidency Links Diezani's Arrest to Stolen Oil Funds
By Isiaka Wakili
Nigeria Daily Trust
Oct 2 2015 9:27PM
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday urged people not to fear him, but the consequence of their actions.
The arrest in London of former Petroleum Resources Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke on Friday may be assumed to be connected with President Muhammadu Buhari's efforts towards recovering stolen oil funds, the Presidency has said.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, stated this in a telephone chat with our correspondent on Friday night.
The presidential aide, however, noted that he had no information yet on the arrest of the immediate past Minister of Petroleum Resources.
Diezani, alongside four other people, was reportedly arrested in London on Friday morning by the United Kingdom National Crimes Agency, for crimes related to bribery, corruption and money laundering.
Asked whether the former minister's arrest had to do with Buhari's moves to prosecute those who mismanaged oil funds, Shehu said: "It may be assumed that it has to do with the president's efforts towards recovering stolen oil funds. If you read the president's address in the New York during the just-concluded United Nations General Assembly, he (Buhari) made a passionate appeal to the international community to assist Nigeria in recovering stolen money".
Buhari had Monday while addressing world leaders at the 70th General Assembly of the United Nations in New York called on the international community to urgently redouble its efforts to strengthen mechanisms for dismantling safe havens for proceeds of corruption.
President Buhari had also urged world leaders to do more to return stolen funds and assets to their countries of origin.
The president had also reaffirmed his government's determination to frontally confront the twin evils of corruption and illicit financial outflows.
"Let me reaffirm the Nigerian government’s unwavering commitment to fight corruption and illicit financial flows. By any consideration, corruption and cross border financial crimes are impediments to development, economic growth, and the realization of the well-being of citizens across the globe. Nigeria is ready and willing to partner with international agencies and individual countries on a bilateral basis to confront crimes and corruption.
"In particular, I call upon the global community to urgently redouble efforts towards strengthening the mechanisms for dismantling safe havens for proceeds of corruption and ensuring the return of stolen funds and assets to their countries of origin," the president had appealed.
Diezani Alison-Madueke arrested in London
By Tonye Bakare
Nigerian Guardian
October 2, 2015 6:52 pm
The former minister petroleum resources under the administration of ex president Goodluck Jonathan, Diezani Alison-Madueke was on Friday morning, along with four others, arrested by the United Kingdom National Crime Agency.
The Press and Public Affairs Officer of the British High Commission in Nigeria, Joseph Abuku, confirmed that some arrests were made Friday but declined to disclose the identities of those involved.
“This morning, five people between the ages of 21 and 60 were arrested on suspicion of bribery and corruption offences. The crimes are being investigated by the National Crime Agency.
“The National Crime Agency does not confirm identity at arrest nor provide information that could be used to corroborate the identity of an arrested individual,” Abuku said. However, the Guardian source in London confirmed the arrest of the ex minister.
It is not clear now if and when the ex-minister would be extradited to Nigeria. But President Muhammadu Buhari had in his Independence Day address to Nigeria said he was intent on ridding the petroleum industry of corruption.
He said that already preliminary steps had been taken to sanitize the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and improve its operations so that the inefficiency and corruption could be reduced to a minimum level.
“Those of our refineries which can be serviced and brought back into partial production would be enabled to resume operations so that the whole sordid business of exporting crude and importing finished products in dubious transactions could be stopped,” he said.
According to him, in addition to sanitizing the NNPC, his administration has ordered for a complete audit of other revenue generating agencies mainly CBN, FIRS, Customs, NCC, for better service delivery to the nation.
The president stressed that prudent housekeeping was needed now more than ever in view of the sharp decline in world market oil prices.
“It is a challenge we have to face squarely. But what counts is not so much what accrues but how we manage our resources that is important.
“We have seen in the last few years how huge resources were mismanaged, squandered and wasted.
“The new APC government is embarking on a cleanup, introducing prudence and probity in public financing,’’ he added.
On power, the president said government officials had held a series of long sessions over several weeks about the best way to improve the nation’s power supply in the safest and most cost effective way.
He noted that the current improvement in the power supply was moderately encouraging.
“By the same token, supply of petrol and kerosene to the public has improved throughout the country.
“All the early signs are that within months the whole country would begin to feel a change for the better,’’ he said.
Buhari further reassured that his administration would continue to address challenges facing the three tiers of government to ensure peace and speedy transformation of the economy.
He noted that at an early stage, the Federal Government addressed the issue of salary arrears in many states, a situation, he said, was capable of degenerating into social unrest.
Nigeria Daily Trust
Oct 2 2015 9:27PM
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday urged people not to fear him, but the consequence of their actions.
The arrest in London of former Petroleum Resources Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke on Friday may be assumed to be connected with President Muhammadu Buhari's efforts towards recovering stolen oil funds, the Presidency has said.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, stated this in a telephone chat with our correspondent on Friday night.
The presidential aide, however, noted that he had no information yet on the arrest of the immediate past Minister of Petroleum Resources.
Diezani, alongside four other people, was reportedly arrested in London on Friday morning by the United Kingdom National Crimes Agency, for crimes related to bribery, corruption and money laundering.
Asked whether the former minister's arrest had to do with Buhari's moves to prosecute those who mismanaged oil funds, Shehu said: "It may be assumed that it has to do with the president's efforts towards recovering stolen oil funds. If you read the president's address in the New York during the just-concluded United Nations General Assembly, he (Buhari) made a passionate appeal to the international community to assist Nigeria in recovering stolen money".
Buhari had Monday while addressing world leaders at the 70th General Assembly of the United Nations in New York called on the international community to urgently redouble its efforts to strengthen mechanisms for dismantling safe havens for proceeds of corruption.
President Buhari had also urged world leaders to do more to return stolen funds and assets to their countries of origin.
The president had also reaffirmed his government's determination to frontally confront the twin evils of corruption and illicit financial outflows.
"Let me reaffirm the Nigerian government’s unwavering commitment to fight corruption and illicit financial flows. By any consideration, corruption and cross border financial crimes are impediments to development, economic growth, and the realization of the well-being of citizens across the globe. Nigeria is ready and willing to partner with international agencies and individual countries on a bilateral basis to confront crimes and corruption.
"In particular, I call upon the global community to urgently redouble efforts towards strengthening the mechanisms for dismantling safe havens for proceeds of corruption and ensuring the return of stolen funds and assets to their countries of origin," the president had appealed.
Diezani Alison-Madueke arrested in London
By Tonye Bakare
Nigerian Guardian
October 2, 2015 6:52 pm
The former minister petroleum resources under the administration of ex president Goodluck Jonathan, Diezani Alison-Madueke was on Friday morning, along with four others, arrested by the United Kingdom National Crime Agency.
The Press and Public Affairs Officer of the British High Commission in Nigeria, Joseph Abuku, confirmed that some arrests were made Friday but declined to disclose the identities of those involved.
“This morning, five people between the ages of 21 and 60 were arrested on suspicion of bribery and corruption offences. The crimes are being investigated by the National Crime Agency.
“The National Crime Agency does not confirm identity at arrest nor provide information that could be used to corroborate the identity of an arrested individual,” Abuku said. However, the Guardian source in London confirmed the arrest of the ex minister.
It is not clear now if and when the ex-minister would be extradited to Nigeria. But President Muhammadu Buhari had in his Independence Day address to Nigeria said he was intent on ridding the petroleum industry of corruption.
He said that already preliminary steps had been taken to sanitize the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and improve its operations so that the inefficiency and corruption could be reduced to a minimum level.
“Those of our refineries which can be serviced and brought back into partial production would be enabled to resume operations so that the whole sordid business of exporting crude and importing finished products in dubious transactions could be stopped,” he said.
According to him, in addition to sanitizing the NNPC, his administration has ordered for a complete audit of other revenue generating agencies mainly CBN, FIRS, Customs, NCC, for better service delivery to the nation.
The president stressed that prudent housekeeping was needed now more than ever in view of the sharp decline in world market oil prices.
“It is a challenge we have to face squarely. But what counts is not so much what accrues but how we manage our resources that is important.
“We have seen in the last few years how huge resources were mismanaged, squandered and wasted.
“The new APC government is embarking on a cleanup, introducing prudence and probity in public financing,’’ he added.
On power, the president said government officials had held a series of long sessions over several weeks about the best way to improve the nation’s power supply in the safest and most cost effective way.
He noted that the current improvement in the power supply was moderately encouraging.
“By the same token, supply of petrol and kerosene to the public has improved throughout the country.
“All the early signs are that within months the whole country would begin to feel a change for the better,’’ he said.
Buhari further reassured that his administration would continue to address challenges facing the three tiers of government to ensure peace and speedy transformation of the economy.
He noted that at an early stage, the Federal Government addressed the issue of salary arrears in many states, a situation, he said, was capable of degenerating into social unrest.
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