By Baron Ike
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains are in shock over the amount of money and property linked to the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.
Huge sums of money in foreign and local currencies linked to Diezani have allegedly been recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from her since she ran away from Nigeria shortly after the 2015 Presidential election.
She is facing charges of corrupt enrichment and money laundering in the United Kingdom where she ran to with some people.
A chieftain of the PDP who is also chairman of the party in one of the PDP controlled states in the South told Armadanews.com at the recently held Special National Non-elective Convention in Abuja that they are in shock over the information at their disposal on what the former minister allegedly stole.
“It is unbelievable what that woman was said to have stolen. To say we are in shock is an understatement. What does she need all that money for? What is linked to her in terms of recovered money is far bigger than the budget of most African states. Not even her former boss, President Goodluck Jonathan can boast of one tenth of what she they said they got from her. We are not impressed at all,” the PDP chieftain told us.
Another PDP top shot who was close to the government of Jonathan told Armadanews.com that the loot linked to Diezani as a woman has made the party to be more suspicious about extending critical portfolios to women.
“I doubt if women will be trusted with such key positions again if what she allegedly stole is anything to go by. That is not to say that all women are the same but what Diezani allegedly stole is making all of us women confused- is it true or not? Does she have that type of rabid appetite for material things? Where does the immediate family come in all these?,” said the source.
The money allegedly recovered from Diezani so far is mind-bugling and in billions.
Property also recovered from her in choice places in Nigeria are among the best in architectural designs.
N47.2 billion and $487.5 million in cash and property have been traced to the former oil minister by the anti-graft agency.
Chairman of the (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu recently described the loot so far recovered from embattled Diezani as just the beginning.
Magu said: “What we have recovered so far from Diezani is just the beginning. It’s just a tip of the iceberg.
“We are moving in and we will recover every loot linked to her. We will get other people she’s work with.”
Magu said the Commission is working in consonance with other agencies around the globe to unearth more loots linked to Diezani.