Diezani Alison-Madueke secretly obtains foreign citizenship

The embattled former oil minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, was about to travel to the Commonwealth of Dominica, however, cancer and the arrest in the British capital, London, have ruined her plan.

Fresh investigations by SaharaReporters show the ex-minister has reportedly acquired a diplomatic passport of the small island country with a total population of just 72,000.

The report claims investigators in the UK and Nigeria discovered that Diezani has secretly obtained the citizenship of the Commonwealth of Dominica. The passport, number DP0000445, valid from May 21, 2015, to May 20, 2020, has been issued.

The prime minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, confirmed this fact in a letter dated May 29, 2015, addressed to one of the UK’s anti-corruption and civil society groups.

Alison-Madueke was also offered a post of the country’s trade and investment commissioner. However, no allowance has been offered for her: the former minister should have promoted trade and investments in Dominica on a free basis. In return, she would have received all the necessary assistance and protection from this country in accordance with the international law.

The development has sparked diplomatic concerns. An undisclosed source of SaharaReporters narrated:

“I think the NCA – National Crime Agency – is suspecting that she acquired the citizenship of the Commonwealth of Dominica with the intent to relocate to this country. This has opened a fresh bend into our investigation.

“It is not impossible that she had planned to escape to Dominica ahead of the inauguration of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari because her appointment ought to be effective from June 1, 2016, for an initial period of three years.

“She has been placed under stricter surveillance in the light of the latest development.

“While the diplomatic aspect is being handled by the appropriate quarters, I can tell you that the NCA is collaborating with many agencies to bring her to account for any allegation against her.

“The NCA is conducting extensive investigation into the oil deals during the tenure of Diezani, irrespective of her ongoing treatment for cancer.”

It would be noted that earlier this week there were fears of Alison-Madueke’s demise. However, it was a false alarm and, despite the former minister has not fully recovered from chemotherapy yet, she is alive.