Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, has denied claims by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, that she withdrew $1.3 billion from accounts of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, for her personal use.
In a statement signed by her Media Adviser, Mr. Clem Aguiyi, The former minister said, ‘’The attention of Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, former Minister of Petroleum Resources, has been drawn to a news story, entitled ‘Diezani in trouble again over the withdrawal of $1.3bn from NNPC accounts.
According to her ‘’Minister of Petroleum Resources acted on the basis of the written approvals and directives given by the President, whose approvals were given after written requests from the relevant security agencies and were made to the President. ‘’At such instances, as in fact the article clearly shows, a service chief or intelligence chief, makes a written request/appeal to Mr. President outlining whatever urgent and critical security needs of the nation they consider imminently paramount, at any given point in time. “If such a request received the approval of the President, the President may direct that the requested funds are drawn from a Security Budget maintained by NNPC, or that the funds be sourced from elsewhere.” ‘’Where the President directs the Minister of Petroleum Resources, in writing, to make the payment from the NNPC, the Minister, in turn, directs the GMD NNPC in writing to execute the directive of the President. NNPC then wires the funds from one of its major foreign bank accounts, or from the CBN, directly to the stipulated account of the particular branch of the armed services, or intelligence unit, or department, that initiated the request. ‘Sic’
She added ‘’It is not within the power or discretion of any serving minister to question or disregard the written directive of a president including that of the incumbent President,‘’ at no time, did she, or could she, as the Minister of Petroleum Resources, interfere with this process. ‘’It is, therefore, impossible and implausible, for any monies under such presidential directives to be diverted during the process, at least from the standpoint of the Minister.
She maintained ‘’Any and all amounts approved and directed by Mr. President to be paid, were executed exclusively by NNPC, directly from NNPC’s foreign and or, Central Bank of Nigeria accounts, to the stated recipients. She affirms ‘’Therefore, let it be very clear, that all funds disbursed by these banking institutions on behalf of NNPC are easily and openly traceable, and the process cannot and should not be utilized for the distortion of facts.’’
She insisted all withdrawal was done according to the directives of the president and that she should not be held responsible for the account of obedience to such directives.
