$1bn Malabu deal: 'Etete a victim of circumstance'

Youths from the South-South region, under the auspices of South-South Youth Leaders Forum have accused the National Assembly of witch-hunting a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Chief Dan Etete, in the $1bn Malabu oil deal scandal probe.

Etete's Malabu Oil and Gas Company owns the controversial OPL 245, which is the subject of the $1bn fraud.

Etete

The SSYLF, in a statement on Sunday, claimed that Etete's fate is fallout of his minority status and urged the National Assembly to probe similar oil blocks owned by the Abacha and other prominent northern and western families.

Chairman of the forum, Mr. Amachree Odiedim, said, "Chief Dan Etete has suffered more than enough victimization and persecution both at home and abroad on this same issue and we can no longer tolerate such broad day light marginalization any further.

"They (NASS) should consider the most lucrative and controversial oil block in the country OPL 246 of which 60% belong to the Abacha family, and 10% to Gen. T.Y. Danjuma, and 10% each to Gilbert Chaguori as well as Roland chaguori

"We are very confident that all these drama of a probe can only happen when a “minority” Ijaw man is involved, but can never happen if the said OPL 245 was owned by a Northerner or Westerner or even Lebanese like the Chagouri brothers."

The statement noted that the Obasanjo administration had earlier "framed" Etete in a Money trial in France, adding, "Between 2002-2003 the House of Representatives held the country to a stand still for 10 good months and almost on daily basis probing this same Malabu’s OPL 245. Months after the Senate took up same probe. Also in 2011 again, the House of Representatives opened a probe on this same Malabu’s OPL 245 and now again it is the turn of the Senate. 

"We are tempted to ask: is Malabu’s OPL 245 the only Oil Block in Nigeria? Or is it a crime for an Ijaw man to own an Oil Block? Or are the Danjuma’s, the Abacha’s, the Dantata’s, or even the Lebanese Roland and Gilbert, Chagouri Brothers, etc who own Oil Blocks better entitled than an Ijaw man?"

The SSYLF accused proponents of the unending investigation of using the National Assembly and top government functionaries of waging vendetta against Etete.