A former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), will on Thursday (tomorrow) present his most-awaited and compelling book on one of Nigeria’s most contentious oil deals to Nigerians.
The intriguing and incisive book, entitled: “OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 billion Oil Block,” will be unveiled at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.
This will be under the chairmanship of former President Goodluck Jonathan, while Vice President Kashim Shettima is the Special Guest of Honour at the event.
The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, is the Chief Book Presenter, while a lawyer, columnist, and journalist, Dr, Rueben Abati, will be the Book Reviewer.
It is instructive to note that the OPL 245 Resolution Agreements between the Nigerian government, Malabu Oil and Gas Limited, Shell PLC, and Eni of Italy over the controversial oil block has scaled every judicial and administrative scrutiny in the United States, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Italy, and Nigeria.
For over eight years, ex AGF Adoke, who, in 2011, helped resolve the 10-year-old dispute over the enormously rich block, was hounded by the Nigerian government.
Adoke’s barely disguised offence was his failure to help the powerful family of the late Nigerian dictator, General Sani Abacha, an old-time ally of former President Muhammadu Buhari, get a cut from the sale of the oil block for $1.1 billion.
Lawyers hoping to receive commissions in excess of $300 million worked with Nigerian government officials to criminalise the deal globally but failed spectacularly.
The book also exposes the dirty intrigue, Machiavellian exploits, unbridled politics, crass opportunism, and vile vendetta around the world-famous oil block.
In daring detail, “OPL 245: The inside story of the $1.3bn Nigerian oil block,” tells the uncensored story of the billion-dollar deal between Shell PLC, Eni S.P.A. and Malabu Oil and Gas Limited of Nigeria that went awry.
The deal attracted global attention over allegations of fraud and bribery and was investigated by American, British, Dutch, and Italian authorities.
But as the world watched what was touted by UK-based campaigners as “the biggest corporate scandal trial in history”, every piece started falling apart, with an Italian Court concluding that there was no fraud.
A UK court ruled likewise in a civil case.
This is a story of dirty intrigue, high-wire politics, vendetta and Machiavellian tactics.
Adoke was educated at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria in Nigeria; Robert Kennedy University, Switzerland; University of Nottingham, UK; and University of Leiden, the Netherlands.
He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, England.
He was a member of the prestigious International Law Commission from 2011 to 2017.
