In
a statement they released yesterday, the family of embattled former
Petroleum Resources Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke confirmed that the
former minister is down with cancer, urging Nigerians to pray for her
recovery. Read the statement below:
THE TRUTH VERSUS THE MEDIA HYSTERIA AGAINST THE MADUEKE FAMILY
1.
In this era of cyber terrorism, decency dictates that one should
response to false and defamatory allegations with silence. But there is a
limit to how much any reasonable person can bear the tactics of these
cyber terrorists. We all know that what makes a lie fly is the little
truth contained therein. This happens to be the weapon used by most
online news media to feed their weird obsession with defaming highly
placed people.
2. The Madueke family is appalled at the ongoing media frenzy against Mrs. Diezani
Alison-Madueke
by a section of the mass media following an invitation to her by the
British authorities last Friday for reasons which have yet to be
disclosed. For the avoidance of doubt, the family would like to state
categorically that it has no issues with any persons from the family
being invited anywhere in the world to answer questions about their
private or official conduct. The Madueke family believes in law and
order, honour and due process.
3. However, it
is clear that here is a deliberate and vicious campaign to demonise
members of the Madueke family, with all manner of frivolous allegations.
For example, an online news media gleefully published that Mr. Ugonna
Madueke “owns at least three properties in the United States.” It even
called the properties “POSH” and went on to state the addresses. THEY
LIED.
4. Mr. Ugonna Madueke has NO PROPERTY
ANY WHERE in the United States and has NEVER OWNED ONE. The USA is a
country which runs on transparency, accountability and technology. A
little honest effort by the online news media would have provided in a
few minutes the true ownership of the properties at issue.
5.
For historical accuracy, the Madueke family avers without any fear of
contradiction that 11711 Scooter Lane (a three bedroom town house) in
Fairfax, Virginia, was acquired by the Madueke family in 1997 when
Ugonna was only 10 years old. Ugonna’s siblings lived in this property
while attending George Mason University in Virginia, USA. Records
available to the appropriate authorities in the United States can also
show that 13116 Silver Maple Court in Bowie, Maryland, USA belongs to an
uncle of the Madueke siblings and was purchased in 1995 when Ugonna was
only 8 years old. As a student of the University of Maryland in 2002,
Ugonna stayed with his uncle at the said address. All of this was before
Mrs. Diezani was appointed to government office. No Madueke or a
distant relation has anything to do with the ownership of No. 4227
Summit Manor Court in Virginia.
6. It is
evident that what the online news media did was to turn on an internet
search engine and maliciously reported that every property where Ugonna
Madueke has ever lived in the United States or used as his address must
belong to him. The description of the properties as POSH was the icing
on the propaganda cake. This is not only unprofessional, as it offends
the tenets of journalism, it is clearly not in resonance with good
conscience.
7. The online news media also
reported that Ugonna and his cousins registered a company by name Hadley
Petroleum Solutions Limited which they have been using to deal in
Nigerian crude oil sales. As young men bubbling with enthusiasm and
fantasy, they registered a company but after two years of no jobs, the
company folded up. The company never had a bank account, let alone being
a trader of Nigeria’s crude oil. They lied.
8.
The online news media took its campaign to the in-laws of the Maduekes.
It claimed that Mrs. Beatrice Agama, the 81 year old mother of Mrs.
Diezani Madueke, owns a house in the United Kingdom. A LIE! Mrs. Agama
has no house or property in the United Kingdom. She has been staying in a
rented two-bedroom flat from where she is receiving medical attention
for a broken femur. Her son, Timi Agama who has been living in the UK
for decades, used to have a house in the UK long before his sister was
appointed to government and he sold it long ago. Since then, he has no
house in the UK. Archbishop Doye Agama of the Apostolic Pastoral
Congress in Manchester, who is in his 60s, is a successful professional
and consultant well known amongst his peers, but he does not own Unit 8
Quebec Building in Manchester which the online newspaper ascribed to
him.
9. As though to outdo the sensational
allegations in the online publication, the mainstream media in Nigeria
has been alleging that Mrs. Diezani attempted to purchase a property on
Hyde Park Street in London for a whooping amount which embarrassingly
ranges from 12.5 million sterling pounds to 13 billion sterling pounds.
This claim is utterly false and laughable, for the amounts mentioned
are only in the imagination of the reporters. This property is quite
popular. It belongs to a well-known eminently successful Nigerian
entrepreneur who would also find this allegation embarrassing as the
intention to sell the property has neither been contemplated nor
disclosed to any person.
10. It is worthy to
note that despite all the frenzy over Mrs. Diezani Madueke, not even one
reporter or journalist has tried to contact the family to verify any of
the rumors they have published with reckless abandon. This may be
because they know the stories are false but it feeds the mood of the
moment. Hence, the silence from Diezani all along. It is worth
emphasising that Mrs Alison-Madueke was never arrested or detained and
her passport was never seized. She was merely invited, and she honoured
it promptly.
11. The Madueke
family, like most other families, have their own challenges. For
instance, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke has been receiving treatment for
cancer in the UK which started while she was in office. The health
crisis has unfortunately exacerbated in recent times. She completed
months of chemotherapy just last week and she is scheduled to undergo
surgery next week in London. The family has been bearing this challenge
with prayers and as much grace and fortitude as possible; and would
plead with all reasonable Nigerians to pray for her recovery so that she
can face this allegation and give account of her stewardship. Yes, she
can—and very well, too.
12. The
Madueke and Agama families would want the decent public to know that
neither Ugonna nor Somze or Abiye or anyone related to the two families
was picked up or arrested or invited for questioning by anybody
whatsoever. Ugonna’s father (the Rear Admiral) has been in Lagos and
working in his office. The lies about his having travelled with a team
of lawyers should please stop. The Madueke family has taken a decision
on how to appropriately deal with those who are on a mission to soil
their hard earned family name.Signed for and on behalf of the Madueke and Agama families.
Barrister Oscar M. Onwudiwe.
Legal Attorney