Kayode Sesan | Lagos
Nigeria’s former minister of petroleum resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke was on Friday morning, along with four others, arrested by the United Kingdom National Crime Agency according to media reports. She was subsequently granted bail and asked to report on Monday at the Charing Cross Police Station in London.
The Press and Public Affairs Officer of the British High Commission in Nigeria, Joseph Abuku, confirmed that some arrests were made Friday but declined to disclose the identities of those involved.
“This morning, five people between the ages of 21 and 60 were arrested on suspicion of bribery and corruption offences. The crimes are being investigated by the National Crime Agency.
“The National Crime Agency does not confirm identity at arrest nor provide information that could be used to corroborate the identity of an arrested individual,” Abuku said.
Diezani Alison-Madueke was born in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. She studied architecture in England and then at Howard University in the United States. She graduated from Howard with a Bachelor’s degree on 8 December 1992. She returned to Nigeria and joined Shell Petroleum Development Corporation that year. In 2002, she attended Cambridge University for her MBA. In April 2006, Shell appointed her its first female Executive Director in Nigeria.
Diezani Alison-Madueke has held three significant positions in the Nigerian federal government. She was appointed Transport Minister in July 2007 by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. On 23rd December 2008, she was named by President Yar’ Adua as Minister of Mines and Steel Development. After Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan became acting President in February 2010, he dissolved the cabinet on 17th March 2010, and swore in a new cabinet on 6th April 2010 with Alison-Madueke as Minister for Petroleum Resources, making her the first Nigerian woman to occupy that office.
__________
Follow us on Twitter at @thesignalng
Copyright 2015 SIGNAL. Permission to use portions of this article is granted provided appropriate credits are given to www.signalng.com and other relevant sources.
