Eight years after stepping away from the public eye, Diezani Alison-Madueke, the first female president of OPEC and former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, is set to speak out in a new documentary titled “Is It Your Money?”
Directed by renowned Nigerian media personality, Chude Jideonwo, the documentary promises an in-depth exploration of the controversies surrounding Diezani’s tenure in government.
Diezani has faced accusations of corruption related to oil deals during her time as minister, allegations she has consistently denied.
“Is It Your Money?” will mark the first time Diezani addresses these accusations directly in eight years. The details regarding the specific content of the documentary remain undisclosed. Although the title itself suggests a focus on the impact of the alleged corruption. It also includes the views of Nigerians on the matter.
The exact release date for “Is It Your Money?” has yet to be announced. It is confirmed for release sometime this year.
Diezani’s tenure as Minister of Petroleum Resources in Nigeria (2010-2015) has been marred by allegations of massive corruption.
The allegations include the diversion of billions of dollars from Nigerian oil revenue; inflation of oil contracts awarded during her tenure, enriching some at the expense of the Nigerian people; accepting bribes from oil companies and laundering money through complex financial schemes.
Diezani has consistently denied all allegations of corruption. She maintains that she acted with integrity during her time in office.
The documentary investigates allegations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that she led a luxurious lifestyle funded by corrupt dealings.
The United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has also charged her to court over multiple counts of corruption since she left office.
In 2023, the NCA’s head of the International Corruption Unit (ICU), Andy Kelly, said in a statement, “We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million-pound contracts. Bribery is a pervasive form of corruption, which enables serious criminality and can have devastating consequences for developing countries. These charges are a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex international investigation.”
According to Reuters, Alison-Madueke was accused of benefiting from at least £100,000 (₦194.2 million) in cash, chauffeur-driven cars, flights on private jets, luxury holidays for her family, and the use of multiple London properties.
In October 2023, she appeared before the Westminster Magistrates Court in the UK over the alleged bribe. The judge, Michael Snow, granted the former minister a £70,000 (₦136 million) bail.
Jideonwo, known for his thought-provoking interviews on social issues, is expected to bring a critical lens to the project.
In an Instagram post on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, Jideonwo called the documentary the “biggest-budget docu-series from our dear country.”
“Over the past two years, a 100+ member team has been working quietly on the most ambitious, biggest-budget docu-series project from our dear country. Shot across 3 countries, Covering 8 cities, We traced confirmed and alleged loot across 15 jurisdictions. With exclusive access to investigators from the FBI, the MET Police and the EFCC,” he said.
In April 2010, the former president of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, swore in Alison-Madueke as the first woman to hold the Minister of Petroleum Resources position in the country. In October 2010, she became the first woman to head a country delegation at the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) conference.
She was also the first female Minister of Transportation and the first woman appointed to the Shell Petroleum Development Company Nigeria board. On November 27, 2014, she was elected the first female president of OPEC.
The documentary is co-produced by, Judith Audu, Eromo Egbejule and Jideonwo, and executive produced by Jideonwo, Mfon Ekpo, ‘Yemi Adamolekun, Mojolaoluwa Aderemi-Makinde and Capital Film Productions.