I Will Reveal The Truth About OPL 245 Deal Very Soon – Adoke

A former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Mohammed Adoke, has vowed to reveal the truth about the controversial Oil Prospecting Licence 245, also known as the OPL 245 deal.

Speaking in an interview with media personality, Adesuwa, the former minister revealed that he would publish a book in December 2023 that would list notable Nigerian leaders and issues involved in the deal.

Adoke claimed that he was made a scapegoat on the OPL 245 court cases, which lasted for years, adding that Nigerians deserve to know the whole truth about the controversy surrounding the oil deal.

The chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said he had become a “damaged brand globally” over the oil processing licence deal, stressing that he would not go down without a fight.

He said: “Nigerians deserve to know the whole truth of the OPL 245 case and the scavengers, idiots and those who nearly ruined this country.

“They try to scapegoat innocent Nigerians. I’m not going to go down without a fight. Do I look like an idiot? I’m not going to go down without documenting history.

“By the time you read my book on OPL 245, I hope they will not stone some Nigerian leaders in this country, including those who call other people corrupt. But they represent the very symbol of corruption.”

Speaking further, the former AGF criticised the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari for being the “most incompetent” government in Nigerian history.

“The corruption allegations against this past government are emerging; let’s wait for a while,” he said.

“Let’s see what will come out of Emefiele’s investigation, the Air Nigeria case, the Paris Club saga and other things that will be investigated.”

The OPL 245 Controversy

OPL 245, an oil block located in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria, was awarded to Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd in 1998 during the administration of the then-military Head of State, late Sani Abacha.

On July 2, 2001, former President Olusegun Obasanjo revoked Malabu’s licence and outrightly assigned the oil block to Shell.

Then, Malabu went to court, but the ownership was reverted to it in 2006 after the company reached an out-of-court settlement with the federal government. Shell fought back and commenced an arbitration against Nigeria.

However, when former President Goodluck Jonathan came to power in 2010, the controversy appeared to have been resolved, with Shell and Eni agreeing to buy the oil block from Malabu for $1.1 billion.

The oil companies also paid $210 million as a signature bonus to the federal government of Nigeria under the supervision of Adoke as the minister of justice.