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FG chides Atiku: You’re wicked, enemy of progress *Nigeria will move without you
From the Federal Government on Wednesday, came a mouthful of lacerating lashes against Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President, for assailing the agreement Nigeria entered into, to finally rest the issue of the decades-old OPL 245 disputation, which has survived different administrations.
The issue has to do with a highly controversial revocation of the deal between the Federal Government and Malabu Oil and Gas for the exploitation of the ultra-deepwater oil block in Nigeria, estimated to hold 9 billion barrels of crude.
The government, following allegations of fraud in the deal entered into in 1998, by the government of the late Sani Abacha, Nigeria’s former Head of State, revoked it and awarded a new deal in 2011 to Eni and Shell, thus triggering of years of international bribery lawsuits and arbitration, as funds allegedly flowed to private individuals rather than the Nigerian state.
But the latest, which has seemingly opened a new chapter in the unending controversy, is Atiku, assailing the FG’s claims of finally resolving the matter, which he dismissed as a lie, insisting that the matter was still live.
Atiku, had on Sunday, poohpoohed the FG’s announcement of a successful deal to end the dispute, which it made through Lateef Fagbemi, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, on March 5.
The Minister had described the deal, which was reportedly cut with Eni, and Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited (NAEL), as a milestone in repositioning Nigeria’s economic landscape, a statement the former VP, dismissed.
Stressing his disagreement with the claim, Atiku not only described it as “nothing more than political theatrics,” but added that the matter was far from resolved, as it remained subject to ongoing legal proceedings.
Bemoaning the outcome, where he claimed that some key stakeholders were excluded from the process, he had warned: “A government that sidelines critical stakeholders, disregards pending judicial processes, and proceeds to celebrate a disputed agreement demonstrates not strength, but recklessness.”
But, in a quick riposte, Fagbemi, replied the former VP in a lengthy statement, where he all but dismissed the Waziri Adamawa, as an enemy of progress, warning Nigerians to beware of his antics together with his camp.
Giving a historical sequence through which the government reached what he saw as a permanent resolution of the issue, the AGF-MoJ, stated that the ongoing opposition revealed what the country was dealing with at this moment of its development, regarding the likes of the former VP.
Hear him: “The persistence of these criticisms, despite clear legal, commercial, and national interest considerations, strongly suggests that they are driven not by patriotism or objective reasoning, but by undisclosed and self-serving interests.
“Those advancing such narratives must be understood for what they represent—an attempt to frustrate a lawful and strategic resolution that stands to unlock immense value for the Nigerian people.
“Their posture is not only misleading but ultimately inimical to the collective interest, as it seeks to deny over 200 million Nigerians the economic and developmental benefits of a critical national asset.
“Nigerians should, therefore, view such interventions with the caution they deserve and reject efforts aimed at derailing progress for narrow personal or political gain. The national interest must not be sacrificed on the altar of hidden agenda.”
Giving a snapshot of the entire event, Fagbemi, stated: “It will be recalled that the block was originally awarded to Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd (Malabu) in April 1998, revoked in July 2001, and subsequently allocated to Shell Nigeria Ultra-Deep Limited (SNUD) in May 2002. These actions gave rise to extensive litigation and public hearings before the National Assembly.
“The disputes arising from the revocation and reallocation were eventually addressed through the 2011 Resolution Agreement involving the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), Malabu, SNUD (now succeeded by Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited – SNEPCo), and Nigerian Agip Exploration (NAE)/Eni entities.
“Under that Agreement, Malabu relinquished all claims and interests in OPL 245 for valuable consideration, while the Federal Government reallocated the block to SNUD (SNEPCo) and NAE as joint license holders. The Agreement also required the Federal Government to convert OPL 245 into an Oil Mining Lease (OML).
Subsequently, the transactions and actions arising from the 2011 Agreement were subjected to rigorous judicial scrutiny in multiple criminal and civil proceedings across jurisdictions, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Italy.
“These proceedings did not establish any wrongdoing against Eni, SNEPCo, or the transaction as a whole. Following the conclusion of these litigations, and in light of the Federal Government’s delay in converting OPL 245 into an OML, Eni entities and Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited initiated arbitration proceedings against the Federal Republic of Nigeria at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
“They contended that the delay constituted a breach of Nigeria’s obligations under the Nigeria–Netherlands Bilateral Investment Treaty. As a result, Nigeria faced a potential liability exceeding US$2 billion in damages and associated costs.
“It is noteworthy that although the ICSID arbitration, which commenced in 2020, received considerable public attention, none of the stakeholders now being referenced by the former Vice-President participated in those proceedings.
“The arbitration was not concerned with questions of ownership of Malabu or internal disputes within the company. Rather, it focused strictly on whether Nigeria had wrongfully delayed or refused the conversion of OPL 245 into an OML, and whether such actions breached its treaty obligations to foreign investors.
“At no point did the individuals now laying claim to interests in Malabu initiate proceedings in that forum, nor did they possess a legal basis to intervene in a dispute centered on sovereign obligations and licensing decisions.
“It is also important to highlight that OPL 245, located in deep offshore waters approximately 150 kilometres from Nigeria’s coastline, has long been regarded as one of the country’s most commercially promising hydrocarbon assets. However, for decades, it remained largely undeveloped due to persistent legal and political disputes.
“The decisive action taken by the current administration is aimed at resolving these long-standing issues, avoiding significant financial exposure, and creating the conditions necessary for the asset to be fully developed and brought into production.
“The significance of this development cannot be overstated. OPL 245 is projected to contribute approximately 150,000 barrels per day to Nigeria’s oil production capacity. The project is designed around a large-scale floating production system and includes substantial gas export components linked to Nigeria LNG. For decades, OPL 245 symbolised unrealised national potential.
“The present resolution, achieved under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, transforms it into a viable and bankable development opportunity capable of delivering substantial economic and social benefits, including increased government revenue, enhanced energy security, and renewed investor confidence.
“Furthermore, the public should be guided by the most recent and authoritative judicial pronouncement on the matter. In Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited v. Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd (2025) 15 NWLR (Pt 2009) 551, the Court of Appeal dismissed Malabu’s challenge to the allocation of OPL 245 to Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited, holding that the action was statute-barred and constituted an abuse of court process.”
Justice Muhammad Nuraddeen Bello of High Court sitting in Sokoto State has sentenced three men, including a foreign national, to death by hanging, after convicting them on charges bordering on terrorism and arms proliferation.
The convicts, Yusuf Muhammad (alias Sallau), a Nigerien; Jabbi Alhaji Yalle; and Kabiru Muhammad, were apprehended on 13th June, 2025, by the Department of State Services (DSS) Counter Terrorism Unit in connection with cross-border criminal activities bordering on arms trafficking and terrorism.
Bello, who found all three defendants guilty as charged and sentenced them to death by hanging, while also ordering the forfeiture of all monetary exhibits recovered from the convicts to the Federal Government, said: “The conviction is the latest in a series of successful prosecutions by the DSS in its sustained operations against terrorism and organised cross-border criminal networks across Nigeria.”
The sentencing is coming about two weeks after the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja sentenced each of the five suspects arrested on May 31, 2026, by the DSS for their involvement in the November 21, 2025, attack on St Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, Niger State, to 25 years’ imprisonment.
Justice Binta Nyako, had handed down the judgment after the men, including two Nigeriens, pleaded guilty to all four terrorism-related charges, bordering on support for the commission of an act of terrorism, breaching both Section 16 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and the Firearms Act, were pressed against them.
According to Count One, the men were accused of jointly conspiring to assist a terrorist by agreeing and intentionally playing various roles towards conveying 15 AK 103 rifles as well as about 1,434 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition from the Diffa region, Republic of Niger, to one Malam Ahmad, a member of the Boko Haram terrorist group based in Borgu, Niger State, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 26(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Primate Elijah Ayodele, is on the verge of coughing out a whopping N10billion, if he fails to offer unrestrained apology to Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former Governor of Kano State within the next 24 hours, and retract his claim that the former Minister of Defence is bidding his time to betray Peter Obi, to whom he is to contest the 2027 presidential election as a running mate.
Without doing so, the controversial cleric, should be ready for a major court battle with the vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), the platform on which the pair is to contest the election.
In a letter indicating a legal action against Ayodele of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church over defamatory remarks, Kwankwaso, through Magaji Mato Ibrahim, SAN & Co., his lawyers demanded an immediate retraction and apology from the cleric over the allegations.
Details of the letter, dated June 11, and unveiled through the X platform of the legal team, was based on a viral video recorded during a live-streamed church service, where the preacher made allegations targeting Kwankwaso’s integrity as Peter Obi’s running mate under the NDC.
Quoting the cleric as stating: “KWANKWASO IS A FAKE TO OBI, KWANKWASO WILL BETRAY YOU. KWANKWASO HAS BEEN PAID TO BE VICE PRESIDENT TO OBI AMONG OTHER LIBELOUS COMMENTS WHILE PRETENDING TO BE A PREACHER,” the former governor said the comments were unprovoked, grossly unfounded, and carefully designed to create a rift within the ranks of the political party and its supporters.
Handing Ayodele a 24-hour ultimatum to publish a full and unequivocal retraction across all social media platforms and news outlets with the same prominence as the original video, they also demanded a written undertaking that he would cease and desist from making any further malicious statements against their client, warning that failure to comply, would lead to full legal actions.
The letter stated: “We shall claim substantial damages to the tune of Ten Billion Naira and cost of the action on a full indemnity basis amongst other reliefs.”
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday demanded the immediate end to the exportation of minerals from countries in Africa in their raw forms, which he said had led to massive exploitation of the continent.
The President, told member countries of the African Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG), a forum of Ministers in charge of Mining and Solid Minerals on the continent to speak with one voice to promote, collective interests, ensure value addition, and prevent the continent from becoming merely a source of raw materials for the rest of the world.
As the Grand Patron of the group, chaired by Dele Alake, Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, gave the charge while receiving a delegation of AMSG in the State House, Tinubu told the delegation that the group had a critical role to play in strengthening Africa’s bargaining power in the global mineral market and ensuring that the continent derives maximum value from its natural resources.
His words: “ What we should do is avoid bureaucracy and deceit; we must put an end to exploitation. The rest of the world won’t mind if your country is a cesspit of dams and rubbish and excavates your raw materials without giving value.
“It is our responsibility to collaborate and cooperate to ensure that these metals and minerals bring value to us, bring technology to us, and we can do it. It is how much each country will put into the research, development and refinery. I don’t see reasons we cannot demand centralisation of that conversation somewhere on the continent. So why not utilise that in our research and development and knowledge-based economy to enhance the quality of life and bring prosperity to our people.”
Emphasising that Africa possessed enormous mineral wealth that should be strategically harnessed to drive industrialisation, create jobs and accelerate economic transformation across the continent, the President, said the era of exporting raw minerals without local processing and beneficiation must give way to a new model that encourages investment in local industries, technology transfer and the development of value chains that retain wealth within Africa.
Alake, who had earlier expressed gratitude to the President for his exemplary leadership under the Renewed Hope Agenda, said the gesture had shown support for Nigeria’s mineral sector, especially in the local value-addition and economic diversification drive, where artisanal miners are empowered.
He told the President: “You encouraged us to look at the focal point of the establishment of this group, which is to ensure that the African natural resources, especially with regards to minerals, critical matters, are localised, the beneficiation coming directly to Africans generally.
“You charged us that we should set our sails very high and ensure that local value addition is a pivot around which all the objectives of this organisation should revolve.
“So, sir, we have gone implemented your charge and we are quitted that today local value addition is reverberating all over Africa.”
He added that some member countries have gone ahead to ban the export of raw minerals.
He explained members of the body were in Abuja for the Fifth edition of the African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit (AFNIS 2026), to push for a new continental approach to resource management and industrial development.
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