Diezani’s husband says Jonathan begged him to allow his wife become minister

Rear Admiral Alison Madueke, husband of the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke has explained how his wife emerged as petroleum minister during Yaradua-Jonathan’s administration.

Madueke, who is a former Chief of Naval Staff said the then Vice-President, Goodluck Jonathan approached him in 2007 to plead with to allow Diezani take up a job as minister in the administration, Punch reports.

He added that at that time, there were very few persons of Bayelsa origin who had his wife’s impressive resumé.

Goodluck Jonathan nominated Diezani Alison Madueke as Minister of Petroleum in 2007. (DW) ece-auto-gen

Madueke said this in his recently published book titled, ‘Riding the Storms with God on My Side’.

He said when Diezani accepted the ministerial appointment, he advised her not to focus on money but maintain the good name of the family.

He said, “When finally she was appointed Minister of Transportation, I took further time to advise her on the topic of self protection and self preservation in the bureaucracy.

“I finally recited the advice my father had given me upon my appointment as military governor. “Go do your best, don’t bring back money, but bring back my name.”

The retired naval officer also disclosed that his wife was diagnosed with cancer towards the end of Jonathan’s administration in 2015.

He said, “On Sunday, July 26, 2015, I stepped into my bedroom soon after our brunch to find that my phone was ringing. It was my mother-in-law, Mrs. Beatrice Agama, who was staying with Diezani while she was undertaking treatment. She was sobbing and only managed to inform me that my wife was no longer talking.

“I was in London by 5.30am the following day, Monday, and went straight to see her. Diezani was in a coma. I called an ambulance that arrived 20 minutes later, the attendants bearing a stretcher. They had to get a wheelchair since the lift could not take the stretcher.

“In less than 10 minutes, we were at the emergency intensive care unit of the Harley Street Clinic. Her doctor, Prof. Paul Ellis, a top oncologist, was out of town and had to be recalled.

“Three days later, when Diezani finally came out of the coma, she saw me by her bedside and asked what I was doing in London. She had reacted badly to her Friday chemotherapy treatment. Thank God she pulled through that nightmarish incident and is now fully recovered.”

Diezani Alison Madueke was Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources from April 2010 to May 2015.