Irked by recent reports alleging that she acquired a 20 million Euro mansion in Vienna, Austria, the minister of petroleum resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, has petitioned the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).
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The terse petition to the director-general of the intelligence agency, which was dispatched over the weekend, requests the NIA to launch a thorough inquest into the source of what she described as a “negative character onslaught”. The petition letter, dated 11/11/2011 and entitled “Phantom Allegation by Heute Newspaper” was personally signed by the minister and copied President Goodluck Jonathan.
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The letter in which Alison-Madueke implored the NIA DG to treat the matter with the urgency it deserves reads in part: “I write to draw your attention to a recent report published by the Vienna-based Heute newspaper alleging the purchase of a 20 million Euro mansion in an undisclosed location in Vienna by my humble self. The story which is clearly concocted to portray Nigeria’s public officials as corrupt and prodigal was scripted as well to denigrate and embarrass the federal government of Nigeria.”
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The letter which was obtained by LEADERSHIP further reads: “In the light of the above, it is my wish that you use your good offices to cause a detailed investigation of the mischievous story with a view to ascertaining the real motive behind this unwholesome article.’’
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The NIA is Nigeria’s foreign equivalent of the State Security Service (SSS) and is charged with gathering intelligence abroad for government as well as the protection of the country’s citizens and other overseas interest. Meanwhile, a source within the presidency yesterday hinted that President Jonathan, irritated by the spate of phantom foreign media-induced attacks targeted at Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, has ordered the NIA DG as well as the Nigerian ambassador to Austria to dig into the matter, with a view to ascertaining the veracity or otherwise of the said report.
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It was gathered that? legal action may be instituted in Austria against the publishers of Heute once it is established that the report was fabricated to ridicule a Nigerian minister.
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“The presidency is approaching the matter with an open mind. But let us look at this case from the standpoint of common sense. Heute is based in Vienna which is the location of the said mansion, yet Heute claims it culled or obtained the report from a Nigerian newspaper which it has so far refused to name.
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“The question is: what stopped Heute from going to the land office or county registry in Vienna to obtain documents and even photographs of the so-called mansion? We really need to send a strong warning to these so-called foreign tabloids,” the source who pleaded anonymity said.
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Recently, the Jarkata Post similarly published a report stating that the NNPC and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources were billed to sign a $2.68 billion deal for the construction of three refineries in Indonesia. The report, which was widely circulated online, caused a major stir in the country amid denials by the NNPC as Nigerians were bewildered by government’s presumed insensitivity of such project. However, days later, the Jarkata Post recanted the story and apologised to the minister of petroleum resources and the NNPC.
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