Below is a press release issued by Alison
Madueke and the Agama families about the travails and media trial of their
daughter and wife.
The Truth Versus The
Media Hysteria Against The Madueke Family
1. In this
era of cyber terrorism, decency dictates that one should response to false and
defamatory allegations with silence. But there is a limit to how much any
reasonable person can bear the tactics of these cyber terrorists. We all know that
what makes a lie fly is the little truth contained therein. This happens to be
the weapon used by most online news media to feed their weird obsession with
defaming highly placed people. Continue below...
2. The
Madueke family is appalled at the ongoing media frenzy against Mrs. Diezani
Alison-Madueke by a section of the mass media following an invitation to her by
the British authorities last Friday for reasons which have yet to be disclosed.
For the avoidance of doubt, the family would like to state categorically that
it has no issues with any persons from the family being invited anywhere in the
world to answer questions about their private or official conduct. The Madueke
family believes in law and order, honour and due process.
3. However,
it is clear that here is a deliberate and vicious campaign to demonise
members of the Madueke family, with all manner of frivolous allegations. For
example, an online news media gleefully published that Mr. Ugonna Madueke “owns
at least three properties in the United States.” It even called the properties
“POSH” and went on to state the addresses. THEY LIED.
4. Mr.
Ugonna Madueke has NO PROPERTY ANY WHERE in the United States and has NEVER
OWNED ONE. The USA is a country which runs on transparency, accountability and
technology. A little honest effort by the online news media would have provided
in a few minutes the true ownership of the properties at issue.
5. For
historical accuracy, the Madueke family avers without any fear of contradiction
that 11711 Scooter Lane (a three bedroom town house) in Fairfax, Virginia, was
acquired by the Madueke family in 1997 when Ugonna was only 10 years old.
Ugonna’s siblings lived in this property while attending George Mason
University in Virginia, USA. Records available to the appropriate authorities
in the United States can also show that 13116 Silver Maple Court in Bowie,
Maryland, USA belongs to an uncle of the Madueke siblings and was purchased in
1995 when Ugonna was only 8 years old. As a student of the University of
Maryland in 2002, Ugonna stayed with his uncle at the said address. All of this
was before Mrs. Diezani was appointed to government office. No Madueke or a
distant relation has anything to do with the ownership of No. 4227 Summit Manor
Court in Virginia.
6. It is
evident that what the online news media did was to turn on an internet search
engine and maliciously reported that every property where Ugonna Madueke has
ever lived in the United States or used as his address must belong to him. The
description of the properties as POSH was the icing on the propaganda cake.
This is not only unprofessional, as it offends the tenets of journalism, it is
clearly not in resonance with good conscience.
7. The
online news media also reported that Ugonna and his cousins registered a
company by name Hadley Petroleum Solutions Limited which they have been using
to deal in Nigerian crude oil sales. As young men bubbling with enthusiasm and
fantasy, they registered a company but after two years of no jobs, the company
folded up. The company never had a bank account, let alone being a trader of
Nigeria’s crude oil. They lied.
8. The
online news media took its campaign to the in-laws of the Maduekes. It claimed
that Mrs. Beatrice Agama, the 81 year old mother of Mrs. Diezani Madueke, owns
a house in the United Kingdom. A LIE! Mrs. Agama has no house or property in
the United Kingdom. She has been staying in a rented two-bedroom flat from
where she is receiving medical attention for a broken femur. Her son, Timi Agama
who has been living in the UK for decades, used to have a house in the UK long
before his sister was appointed to government and he sold it long ago. Since
then, he has no house in the UK. Archbishop Doye Agama of the Apostolic
Pastoral Congress in Manchester, who is in his 60s, is a successful
professional and consultant well known amongst his peers, but he does not own
Unit 8 Quebec Building in Manchester which the online newspaper ascribed to
him.
9. As though
to outdo the sensational allegations in the online publication, the mainstream
media in Nigeria has been alleging that Mrs. Diezani attempted to purchase a
property on Hyde Park Street in London for a whooping amount which
embarrassingly ranges from 12.5 million sterling pounds to 13 billion sterling
pounds. This claim is utterly false and laughable, for the amounts
mentioned are only in the imagination of the reporters. This property is quite
popular. It belongs to a well-known eminently successful Nigerian entrepreneur
who would also find this allegation embarrassing as the intention to sell the
property has neither been contemplated nor disclosed to any person.
10. It is worthy
to note that despite all the frenzy over Mrs. Diezani Madueke, not even one
reporter or journalist has tried to contact the family to verify any of the
rumors they have published with reckless abandon. This may be because they know
the stories are false but it feeds the mood of the moment. Hence, the silence
from Diezani all along. It is worth emphasising that Mrs Alison-Madueke was
never arrested or detained and her passport was never seized. She was merely
invited, and she honoured it promptly.
11. The Madueke
family, like most other families, have their own challenges. For instance, Mrs.
Diezani Alison-Madueke has been receiving treatment for cancer in the UK which
started while she was in office. The health crisis has unfortunately
exacerbated in recent times. She completed months of chemotherapy just last
week and she is scheduled to undergo surgery next week in London. The family
has been bearing this challenge with prayers and as much grace and fortitude as
possible; and would plead with all reasonable Nigerians to pray for her
recovery so that she can face this allegation and give account of her
stewardship. Yes, she can—and very well, too.
12. The Madueke and
Agama families would want the decent public to know that neither Ugonna nor
Somze or Abiye or anyone related to the two families was picked up or arrested
or invited for questioning by anybody whatsoever. Ugonna’s father (the Rear
Admiral) has been in Lagos and working in his office. The lies about his having
travelled with a team of lawyers should please stop. The Madueke family has
taken a decision on how to appropriately deal with those who are on a mission
to soil their hard earned family name.
Signed for and on behalf
of the Madueke and Agama families.
Barrister Oscar M.
Onwudiwe.
Legal Attorney
No comments:
Post a Comment