Oil Bloc Fraud: Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Jonathan endorsed Malabu oil deal – Adoke

More facts are beginning to emerge on the controversial $1 billion Malabu Oil deal which has smeared several eminent Ni­gerians.

The immediate past At­torney-General of the Fed­eration and Minister of Jus­tice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke, has said that former presidents Olusegun Oba­sanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan ap­proved the controversial Operating Licence 245 be­tween the Federal Govern­ment, Shell Nigeria and Mal­abu Oil and Gas Limited.

It would be recalled that the Economic and Finan­cial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had, in a suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja, disclosed that the oil block prospecting Licence known as OPL 245 was il­legally and fraudulently ac­quired by Malabu Oil and Gas Limited.

Besides, the anti-graft agency revealed how Adoke facilitated the payment of $1.2 billion bribe to Chief Dan Etete, the then Minis­ter of Petroleum Resources.

The revelations from the EFCC were contained in its counter-affidavit in opposition to the applica­tions brought by Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited and Shell Nigeria Explora­tion and Production Com­pany Ltd, praying the court to vacate its order of forfei­ture made against them in respect of OPL 245 pros­pecting Licence.

However, in a letter to the current AGF and Min­ister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, which was made available to The AUTHOR­ITY, Adoke disclosed the administrations of erst­while presidents, Obasanjo, Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jon­athan all gave their approvals for the transaction and oper­ation of OPL 245.

Explaining further on the issues surrounding the dis­pute, the former AGF ac­cused the EFCC of a deliber­ate attempt to turn Nigerians against him by painting him black and as a corrupt per­son.

He pointed out that Malami had the responsi­bility to explain to Nigeri­ans the true state of things concerning the oil transac­tion that has become a sub­ject of litigation, saying he never abused his office while he was the AGF.

Adoke in the letter said: “Having given you the ben­efit of the doubt, that you would not sponsor delib­erate falsehood against me, my suspicion is that there is an orchestrated plot by the EFCC to: deliberately im­pugn a transaction that has been scrutinised and ap­proved by at least three past Presidents and three At­torneys General; drag my name in the mud and paint me with the tar of corrup­tion in order to attract pub­lic odium”.

“As the Chief Law Of­ficer of the Federation, you have a public duty to speak on this matter so that Nige­rians would know whether I acted mala fide or abused my office in the entire transac­tion leading to the final im­plementation of the settle­ment.

Nigerians need to know whether your predecessors in office from 2006 to May 2015 acted in the national interest when they brokered and implemented the settle­ment.”

“It will also be instruc­tive for Nigerians to know whether your predecessors were carrying out their per­sonal agenda or that their re­spective actions were carried out with the knowledge and approval of their respective principals”.

Adoke further alleged that the EFCC was acting in the interest of some power­ful individuals who are “ag­grieved by my refusal to ac­cede to their requests to compel Malabu to pay them certain sums from the pro­ceeds of its divestment in OPL 245, and the subsequent reallocation of the Block to Shell/ENI.”

Source – The Authority