Ex-President denies participating in controversial $1.1bn Malabu oil deal

Obasanjo also warned former Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke to stop linking him to the deal.

Adoke linked Obasanjo to the dealin a petition sent to current Attorney General, Abubakar Malami in which he accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of victimizing him.

The former president however denied the claims while speaking to Premium Times.

“I don’t support that kind of conduct. Adoke and others should not drag me into a matter I know nothing about,” Obasanjo said.

“If they have been asked to answer questions over decisions they took while in office, they should do that honourably. They should not bring Obasanjo into an Etete deal. I was not part of any such deal.

“If I hold that view, I could not have approved a deal with Dan Etete. What Etete did is the height of corruption. He appropriated the asset to himself illegally, illegitimately and immorally,”

“I can’t remember giving approval that the block be given back to Etete. We gave it back to Malabu? On what ground? Do you have any such evidence? Ask Bayo Ojo and Edmund Daukoru what really happened because the stand I took at the time was unassailable.

“If Daukoru has evidence that I approved that the block be given back to Malabu or Etete, let him produce it. If it is proven that I indeed approved the deal, I would be willing to apologize to Nigerians. But we have to get to the bottom of it all,” he added.

Obasanjo was referring to Edmund Daukoru, who was the minister of state for Petroleum during his administration, and Chief Bayo Ojo, a former Attorney General.

Adoke claimed that the Terms of Settlement for the deal were launched under Obasanjo’s administration and brokered by Ojo before the tenure of former president Goodluck Jonathan who approved the final implementation of the terms.

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Italian prosecutors have accused Jonathan and former petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke of illegally benefitting from the deal.