“I Was a Rubber Stamp, Not a Decision Maker,” Diezani Tells UK Court

Nigeria’s former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has told a UK court that she played a largely procedural role in the award of oil contracts during her time in office.

Testifying on Wednesday at Southwark Crown Court, Alison-Madueke said decisions on contracts passed through multiple layers of government agencies before reaching her desk, leaving her with little direct influence over final outcomes.

She described her role as part of a broader bureaucratic system, stating that by the time documents arrived for ministerial approval, key decisions had already been made. “The choice had been made,” she told the court, adding that the structure of Nigeria’s oil sector did not allow for unilateral control by a single office.

According to her testimony, operational authority in the petroleum industry rested primarily with the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), while the ministry functioned mainly in an oversight capacity. She also pointed to the scale of the sector—comprising hundreds of oil fields, thousands of workers, and multiple regulatory bodies—as a factor that made direct ministerial control impractical. “It was not a one-man state,” she said.

Alison-Madueke is standing trial on charges filed in 2023, including five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. Prosecutors allege the offences are linked to the award of oil and gas contracts between 2010 and 2015, when she served as minister.

The prosecution has also presented claims that Nigerian businessmen funded luxury expenses on her behalf, including more than £2 million reportedly spent at Harrods and about £4.6 million used to refurbish properties in London and Buckinghamshire. Additional allegations involve her access to high-value properties in the UK and the use of payment cards linked to associates.

She has denied all allegations, maintaining that she neither solicited nor received bribes and did not abuse her office.

In her defence, the former minister said she rejected only a small fraction of contract approvals—about one to two per cent—explaining that it was uncommon to overturn decisions that had already passed through established processes. She also told the court that she intervened in 2014 to cancel a controversial crude oil lifting arrangement after receiving a whistleblower report but faced resistance, including complaints to then President Goodluck Jonathan.

Addressing past controversies, she revisited the widely reported $20 billion oil revenue dispute, arguing that it had been mischaracterised. She said subsequent audits and legislative reviews clarified that the funds in question were tied to subsidy payments and operational costs rather than missing revenue.

On fuel subsidy administration, she acknowledged systemic abuses, including multiple claims by marketers, and said reforms introduced during her tenure reduced fraudulent payments but led to personal and professional risks.

She told the court that her reform efforts exposed her and her family to threats, citing the abduction of her younger sister in 2013 and another incident involving her nephew. She added that her son required military protection to attend school.

On financial matters, she confirmed using credit cards issued by Nigerian banks for official travel but said restrictions on foreign accounts created logistical challenges during overseas engagements. In some instances, she said, third parties covered expenses when her cards were declined abroad. She rejected claims of improper benefits, stating that any expenses incurred during official duties were reimbursed by the NNPC.

Court proceedings have included the presentation of travel records, diplomatic correspondence, and documentation of official trips between 2011 and 2015. Alison-Madueke maintained that her tenure focused on expanding local participation in the oil sector and improving transparency through policy reforms.

The trial is ongoing, with a verdict expected in the coming weeks.