Former President Goodluck Jonathan has accused the administration of his successor, Muhammadu Buhari, of targeting and harassing key officials from his government in connection with the controversial Malabu oil deal, also known as the OPL-245 scandal.
The controversy centres on the 2011 acquisition of Oil Prospecting Licence 245 (OPL-245), a highly valuable offshore oil block, by international oil companies Shell and Eni for $1.3 billion. Allegations subsequently surfaced that $1.1 billion of the payment was diverted through intermediaries as illicit payments to Nigerian officials and political actors.
Speaking through former Senate President Pius Anyim at the public launch of OPL 245: Inside Story of the $1.3bn Nigerian Oil Block, a memoir authored by former Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke, Jonathan alleged that the Buhari administration undertook what many perceived as a politically motivated witch-hunt.
“Following the end of my administration in 2015, the succeeding government initiated what many interpreted as a manhunt against senior figures from my tenure,” Jonathan stated. “Mr Bello Adoke, then Attorney-General, was pursued internationally over the OPL-245 matter. Today, he is alive, well, and finally telling his side of the story. I commend his resilience and celebrate this moment with him.”
Jonathan used the occasion to emphasise the centrality of justice and fairness in governance. “As history has shown across all civilisations, any society that fails to uphold justice and fairness cannot achieve peace or sustainable progress,” he declared.
He also called on current and future public officeholders to remain steadfast in upholding truth, justice, and integrity in the execution of their responsibilities.
The origins of the Malabu scandal date back to 1998 when the late General Sani Abacha’s regime initially awarded the oil block to Malabu Oil and Gas. The licence changed hands in 2011 when Malabu sold its stake to Shell and Eni — a transaction that subsequently became the subject of international investigations, criminal proceedings, and civil litigation.
