By Ogochukwu Isioma
Nigeria’s former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, Wednesday said “God is God. If He promises you something, He will see it through”.
She made the comments while expressing relief and gratitude following her acquittal on all bribery charges brought against her in the United Kingdom.
The judgement brought to a close a legal battle that lasted more than a decade.
In a statement issued on behalf of Diezani Agama Allison Madueke by Bolouere Opukiri after a jury at Southwark Crown Court cleared her of all charges, the former minister described the verdict as a complete vindication after years of public scrutiny and personal hardship.
She said: “Today, at Southwark Crown Court, I was acquitted of all charges brought against me.
“For eleven arduous years, this matter has weighed heavily upon me and my family. Today, a decade of unrelenting and unjust vilification, condemnation, and scrutiny has finally concluded.”
Diezani, who served as Nigeria’s petroleum minister between 2010 and 2015 and became the first female president of OPEC in 2014, thanked God, her legal team, family and friends for standing by her throughout the lengthy legal process.
“I give thanks to Almighty God for His faithfulness and for the complete vindication I have received.
“I am grateful to my legal counsel for their diligence, and to my family and friends for their steadfast support and encouragement throughout this period,” she stated.
She added: “I am profoundly relieved. My name has been cleared, and this ordeal has come to an end.”
The verdict followed a five-month trial in London, where Alison-Madueke faced allegations of accepting bribes from individuals linked to energy companies while serving as a public official.
She was acquitted of five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery after jurors deliberated for more than 46 hours.
The case, brought by the UK’s National Crime Agency, centred on allegations that she received cash payments, luxury goods, private jet travel and chauffeur-driven services in exchange for favours connected to oil contracts.
Throughout the proceedings, Alison-Madueke denied all allegations, insisting that she never solicited or accepted bribes.
“At no time did I ask, take or seek a bribe,” she told the court during her testimony.
“I always sought to act impartially in all that I did.”
Her defence team argued that some of the gifts cited by prosecutors reflected Nigeria’s culture of gift-giving and contended that she had been the target of a prolonged campaign by opponents of reforms introduced during her tenure.
The trial also ended in acquittals for her brother, Doye Agama, who was cleared of conspiracy to commit bribery, and oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde, who was found not guilty of two bribery-related charges.
While celebrating the court’s decision, Alison-Madueke indicated that she would speak further about the experience in the future.
“This, however, is not the final chapter. In due course, I shall address this difficult period in greater detail and share my intentions for the future,” she said.
“For now, I intend to embrace the freedom that has been unjustly denied me for many years.”
