Former President Goodluck Jonathan has denied media
reports that he received gratification before approving the controversial
Malabu Oil deal. A statement by his spokesperson, Ikechukwu Eze, in Abuja yesterday said Jonathan did not send a
businessman, Abubakar Aliyu, or any
other person to receive a bribe on his behalf during or after the negotiation.
The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to news reports
published mostly by online media which insinuated, rather than presenting
factual evidence, that Jonathan received kickbacks in the $1.3bn OPL 245 oil
block involving oil giants ENI and Royal Dutch Shell. We wish to make it clear
that Jonathan was not accused, indicted or charged for corruptly receiving any
money as kickbacks or bribes from ENI by the Italian authorities or any other
law enforcement body in the world. We wish to state that the negotiations and
transactions for the oil block predated the Jonathan’s presidency, which began
on May 6, 2010 and ended on May 29, 2015. It may interest those promoting this
false narrative to also know that the documents relating to the transactions
are in the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of
Justice. As President of Nigeria,
Jonathan met with the executives of all the oil majors operating in the country
to solicit support in the oil industry.”
He urged the media to use
the Freedom of Information Act, which Jonathan signed into law, to investigate
stories before publication. Meanwhile, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has urged
the Federal Government to stop an investigation into the Malabu oil deal.
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