The witch-hunting that may herald the new order in Nigeria may have begun. Diezani Allison-Madueke, the Minister of Petroleum Resources, may be the first victim. She appears to have been programmed for an ignominious exit from office. She drew attention to this when she blew the lid last week. Her story was that oil cabals were after her. They want to package and sell her as a fraud to Nigeria and the world on account of the running battle she had with them.

The minister had to blurt, out following the recent and ongoing media scrutiny that had been directed at her and her office. Before now, Allison-Madueke had been the butt of dangerous insinuations about the alleged sleaze in the petroleum industry. But she had, at every turn, rebuffed attempts to present her in bad light. However, her detractors seem to have acquired a new impetus, following the outcome of last month’s presidential election. The government that Diezani serves is on its way out. The set-up has created a veritable fertile ground for all manner of mischief.

In recent weeks, for instance, a number of allegations have been woven around her neck. We have been told that $700 million was found in her private residence. But we were not told  who carried out the search as well as when and where the incident took place. Then, since some people have continued to insist that $20 billion was missing from government’s coffers, a brand new story is being woven about the fabled amount. And the story is that $17 billion out of the $20 billion has been traced to a Zenith Bank account and that Diezani has negotiated to return the money to the Federal Government.

Of course, many of us are already familiar with tales that the minister is seeking asylum with some foreign countries and that former Head of State, Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar, is negotiating a soft-landing for her. There is, indeed, a diet of tales surrounding the activities of the minister. But she has dismissed all of them as hogwash. She has also gone ahead to tell the world that some powerful operators in the oil industry are behind her travail.

In her bid to move Nigeria’s oil and gas sector away from insitutional and insitutionalised corruption, Diezani said that she stepped on a number of big toes. She is proud to tell us that millions, if not billions  of dollars, have been taken out of the hands of multinational oil companies and their subcontractors and put in the hands of Nigerians through the local content policy. This bold step may not have gone down well  with those who had been feeding fat from the oil sector. Diezani feels satisfied that she is on the right side of history. But her detractors will not let her be. And that appears to be the reason for the renewed critical searchlight being beamed in her direction.

Perhaps, it was in the light of the fictive tales being woven around Diezani and the so-called missing $20 billion that Gen Muhammadu Buhari, the president-elect, is getting unduly excited. Buhari was reported to have said a few days ago that he would inquire into the alleged missing $20 billion when he assumes office. In Buhari’s understanding, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi was sacked as the governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for telling the world that $20 billion was missing from the country’s coffers. It would have been surprising to hear Buhari say this if he was not engaged in a one-minded pursuit of his fancies and fantasies. But because he and others like him have programmed their mindset to achieve a given objective,  Buhari’s belief is in line with whatever that objective is. That is why he has chosen to believe what he considers convenient.

But those who do not want to stand truth on its head know that Sanusi was not sacked by anybody. He served out his tenure. He could not qualify for a renewal because he was playing dangerous politics with the office of CBN governor.

As we were saying earlier, the mischievous tales being woven around Diezani have started exciting Buhari. He believes the story that a certain amount of money was recovered from Diezani and that she has negotiated for a refund. That was why Buhari spoke thus a few days ago. “I heard that some people have started  returning money. I will not believe it until I see for myself.” That is the mood  around the president-elect. He appears excited by it all. It is the excitement  that he will take to office. And when he gets there, the story, whatever it is, must be made to fall into place. It will not matter how the story will be hammered into shape. The important thing is that it will be made to fit. And when this becomes the case, we will, very soon, be faced with a situation where fiction will be wearing the toga of fact.

As should be expected, Nigerians have been reacting in various ways to Buhari’s declaration that he will revisit the $20 billion saga. But Jonathan, who has been laughing very broadly with Buhari in recent weeks, must have been surprised that the General is not impressed by his (Jonathan’s) attempt to be seen to be one with the man he wants to handover power to. In spite of the broad smiles, Buhari is still very suspicious of Jonathan and his government. That is why he wrongly accused Jonathan of sacking Sanusi. That is also why he is insisting that Sanusi’s claim over missing $20 billion was true. It is also for  reasons of disdain that Buhari has for Jonathan and his government that he wants to throw aside the probes, inquiries and audits conducted by the Jonathan administration on the alleged missing fund and, instead, institute his own probe or inquiry.

I suspect that one of the strangest things, which the incoming administration will be doing will be to foist some people’s sympathies or mischief on the rest of us. If a certain breed of Nigerians closed their eyes and ears to the facts of the $20 billion alleged to be missing, then the government run by that breed will ensure that the lie it has been holding on to for years is elevated to the level of truth.

It is, indeed, strange that Sanusi’s $20 billion is still an issue in Nigeria. A matter in which a CBN governor muddled up his figures and caused more confusion in the process ought to have been dismissed as the figment of his imagination. But the mumbo jumbo was still picked up from the ashes of disinformation and dusted up so that the truth could be established.

But how did we come about Sanusi’s poisonous tale? The man had, in September 2013, written President Jonathan, alleging that the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had failed to remit the sum of $49.8 billion to the Federation Account over a 19-month period. The letter was supposed to be for the president’s attention and necessary action. But Sanusi had other intentions. That was why he leaked the letter to the Press. Soon, the matter became a virus in our body-politic.

Government would not leave such a grave allegation lying low. The Senate took interest in the matter and referred it to an appropriate committee. When Sanusi appeared before the Senate Committee, which was inquiring into his allegation, he told the committee that the missing figure was $12 billion instead. He was later to change the figure to $19.8 billion and then to  $20 billion. Even though Sanusi contradicted himself to no end, those whose minds were closed to the facts of the matter insisted that he was right.

It was for this reason that Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Minister of Finance, had to call for a forensic audit on the matter. A reputable audit firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers has since carried out an audit of NNPC’s account and came up with the verdict that no money was missing. But this verdict does not appear to have impressed Buhari and his gang.  It did not conform with what they have chosen to believe. That is why Buhari wants to institute his own probe. He and his cohorts want to be told what they want to hear.

What should we then expect in the days to come? Compulsive and forced lies? Buhari may do well to spare himself the infamy of engaging in witch-hunting. There are many issues of national importance that should engage his attention. Vendetta and bad blood will only lead to a blind alley.

http://sunnewsonline.com/new/?p=11713

Let her be
Buhari mite end up chasing shadows
Instead for him to tackle issues confronting us, he's busy saying dis and dat.
He shld as well try obj and ibb too if he is realu serious abt corruption palava

We'll see bout that

OP .. Dont be daft...The woman is corrupt. Stop trying to paint her innocent..we cannot all be daft you know?

In light of the recent released PWC report, this write up deserves to be dropped in a dustbin.

The writer of this very ridiculous article can as well shove the rubbish in his an.us. The report released by PWC, despite that it's not worth the papers used in printing it, is still an indictment on Diezani and GEJ by extension.

Why does one need to make a case for someone you say has not done any wrong?

Why not let GMB ask experts to break down the report for him and see what it comes out to?

And if Presiden Buhari chooses to conduct an entire audit of NNPC's activities for a determined period, why do you have to switch into hyperventilating mode?

This one is DOA (dead on arrival),

If you're here to read comments like me, hit like

Ok make dem pursue her wella
Meanwhile try dis http://paywarrior.com/1/?ref=tZaB0E4sd

Hmmmmm......good one there @op. God bless Nigeria.

Please check my signature too. Thanks.

No smoke without fire.

;DSome 1 please help me read dis out can't find glasses

woman could be saying the truth.
nigerians not to be trusted.
But if there are Cabals after her,why not name them with presidential backing to save your sorry assès?

SHARIAREPORTERS:
Let her be
Buhari mite end up chasing shadows
Instead for him to tackle issues confronting us, he's busy saying dis and dat.
He shld as well try obj and ibb too if he is realu serious abt corruption palava

The last time he was getting close to ibb and abacha..they did coup 4 him

this woman is a gonner

kiri kiri calling

the poster below me wann hear more... read my signature

Tell me more.

This is just another paid psychophant trying to shift blame to the incoming administration.

Anybody whose hands are clean has absolutely nothing to fear. So this long epistle is unnecessary. If you stole money you will be punished and made to return it. That has nothing to do with witch hunting!

Well, her time is almost up. Now she will know of a fact that stealing is a punishable offence.

There is no hiding place for any thief.

Too long to read biko,.brb

Temitemi1, come and defend your sugar mummy o

Btw, this woman is corruption personified. She must face the gulag. She must not go scot-free o

Really?

Wow!

She has already started fighting back with media articles. Well, she can buy all the publications in the world, what we await is how far these publications can take her in court.

I wonder what Jonathan would call this woman; "thief" or "ole"??

GMB can fight corruption without jailing anyone but he should probe Tinubu, IBB & OBJ as well.

Frog eyed thief .... No amount of image laundering will work, She must go to jail!!!

The whole write up is a hogwash. Why is she talking about cabal now? Am a life long supporter of GEJ but he goofed by allowing this type of minister to stay on. Dezani. ..nothing can help you now but the truth. NNPC is the face of corruption in Nigeria, the game is up.

If she is not corrupt. Why did she take the senate to court for inviting her to a public hearing to explain herself.

It was for this reason that Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Minister of Finance, had to call for a forensic audit on the matter. A reputable audit firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers has since carried out an audit of NNPC’s account and came up with the verdict that no money was missing.

The person who wrote this must have read another version of the PWC audit. One which was different from what I read.

Wait, let me go and check for the version the OP read and maybe make sense of their incoherence.

Nollywood movie. "The rants of a scared woman"

all this your write up cant save her.....

the only thing that can save her is if she's innocent


Period

Minister of petroluem is the most sensitive ministry in nigeria.... so anybody opportune to be minister should be ready for probe,criticism and witch/wizard hunting.

she and the fg insisted no money was missing yet PWC found 1.48billion. then, PWC came out to say the report might not be totally accurate as they were denied access to some info meaning it could be more than what they found. She is not looking for soft landing but she was pictured in Abdulsalam's house.abeg,she go greet him family over buhari's victory abi.





ABEG,we all know this woman is a thief.
anybody who denies this is either a sentimentalist,a fellow thief or has been doomed to suffer.(last bullet).

dumb pple dnt wnt to leve dis intelligent woman alone...

If the so called saint minister is not corrupt let her stop running all over the place seeking for asylum and openly give herself up for probe by the incoming government rather than all this trash posted by the OPs and if not found guilty she is good to go but if found guilty should rot in Kiri Kiri to serve as example to other power hungry thieves of her likes!!! .