Former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, who served under the administration of Goodluck Jonathan, has denied the authenticity of a recent report claiming that she granted an interview in London where she allegedly implicated the current Governor of Zamfara State, Dauda Lawal.
Alison-Madueke has dismissed the report as “fake” and “fabricated.”
According to the report, the ex-minister supposedly spoke with journalists in London and expressed a desire to return home. The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) shared parts of the interview on its Instagram page, along with a photo of Alison-Madueke and Lawal.
The interview said Alison-Madueke “expressed her readiness to disclose details of the funds she allegedly misappropriated while in office.”
She was also quoted as saying, “I am now a born-again Christian and currently grappling with the second stage of cancer, for which my United Kingdom-based physician has advised me to continue medication for the rest of my life. Yes, no one is flawless, but sometimes God Almighty permits such occurrences.
“I’ve been accused of financial misconduct during my tenure as the petroleum minister, and it’s true. However, I would like President Bola Tinubu and Nigerians to forgive me, allow me to return home, and contribute because life is transient.”
Mrs. Alison-Madueke has been out of the country since 2015. She is now in the United Kingdom (UK), where she is facing corruption accusations in both Nigeria and the UK.
In response to the allegations, the former minister told Premium Times on Saturday evening, “I did not grant an interview to anyone and therefore did not say any of the things attributed to me. It is fake news concocted for reasons I do not know.”
