A former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, has said that she only acted on the written approval and directives of former President Goodluck Jonathan in releasing $1.3 billion from the accounts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to security agencies.
In an apparent reaction to media reports that she was being quizzed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the withdrawal of $1.3 billion from NNPC accounts, Alison-Madueke said that she only wrote the Group Managing Director of NNPC to execute the president’s directive to release the funds to the concerned agency.
Alison-Madueke, in the statement issued by her media adviser, Mr Clem Aguiyi, added that the president’s approval of the release of money was exclusively executed by NNPC, directly from the corporation’s foreign account and/or from the accounts of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to the stated recipients.
To this end, she said that she, at no time, did interfere with the process.
Noting that said she could not have flouted the written directive of the president, she added that funds disbursed by the NNPC, through banking institutions were traceable.
“On the issue in question, the former Minister of Petroleum Resources acted on the basis of the written approvals and directives given by the president whose approvals were given after written requests from the relevant security agencies were made to the president.
“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 minister to question, flout or disregard the written directives of the president, including that of the incumbent president.
“At no time did she, or could she, as the Minister of Petroleum Resources, interfere with this process.
“It is, therefore, impossible and implausible, for any money 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 the 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 utilised for the distortion of facts, vendetta or political mischief,” the statement read in part.
