Diezani Allison-Madueke: From petroleum minister to fugitive

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Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke

Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke

10-years-ago, precisely 27 November 2014, at the 166th OPEC Ordinary meeting in Vienna, Austria, Nigeria’s Diezani K. Alison-Madueke made history as the first female President of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, succeeding Libyan Vice-Prime Minister for Corporations, Abdourhman Atahar Al-Ahirish.

Barely three weeks after her OPEC election, Alison-Madueke who was Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources, was appointed as the President of the Ministerial Meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, becoming the first woman to be so appointed by the body.

One would have predicted that the record-breaker would go on to become the first female president of Nigeria but sadly, 10 years down the line, the record-breaking Alison-Madueke has faded into the abyss, becoming a fugitive in her home country following allegations of corruption and embezzlement.

Nigeria has often been plagued by corruption scandals and through a joint operation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, several high-ranking public officials have been arrested and charged with various offences, including bribery, fraud, money laundering, and abuse of power.

According to the latest Corruption Perception Index by Transparency International, Nigeria ranks 154 out of 180 countries, with a score of 24 out of 100, indicating a high level of perceived corruption in the public sector.

Among the public office holders who have been arrested and charged with corruption, Alison-Madueke’s case stands out having been charged with multiple counts of corruption, money laundering, and abuse of office.

Here’s a timeline of how Alison-Madueke moved from grace to grass: READ MORE

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