Former Minister, Alison-Madueke Faults EFCC Over $1.3bn NNPC Withdrawal

Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, has refuted the claims by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that she withdrew $1.3 billion from accounts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for personal use.

This was contained in a statement signed by her Media Adviser, Mr. Clem Aguiyi.

The statement 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 withdrawal of $1.3bn from NNPC accounts.

“Under Section 5 of the Constitution, all executive powers are vested in the President who may exercise it directly or through the Vice President or Ministers of the Federation. As Minister for Petroleum Resources, Mrs Alison-Madueke was an appointee and delegate of the President.

“Consequently, Minister of Petroleum Resources acted on the basis of the written approvals and directives given by the President, which approvals were given after written requests from the relevant security agencies 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 be 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.

“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

“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.

“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.

“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.”