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.
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