Diezani Allison-Madueke before her battle with cancer

Nigeria’s former oil minister, Diezani Alison Madueke has debunked rumours about her sexual escapades with several young businessmen  in the oil sector and former President Goodluck Jonathan.

In an interview published by Ovation Publisher, Dele Momodu, Diezani flatly denied  all the alleged sexual liaisons with businessmen such as Chris Aire, Kola Aluko, Jide Omokore, Tonye Cole, Dapo Abiodun, Wale Tinubu, Igho Sanomi.

“I vehemently deny any intimacy or liaison with any of these gentlemen, ” she said.

She  said she is happily married like most of the men with whom she was rumoured to have sexual dealings, stressing that “she is not the Scarlet Lady that people paint her to be”.

According to her, the ‘insulting’ rumours must be the handiwork of some people who cannot contemplate a woman holding an important position and also explained how she met a number of the men.

“I was the Chairman of the Nigerian Content Development & Monitoring Board and I did my job to the best of my ability and intentions. My boss and I were determined to empower Nigerians, especially the young ones, who had the brains and guts to dare.”

She pointed out that her firm belief and desire to empower Nigerians stemmed from the manner that she and her parents and siblings were unceremoniously dumped out of Shell Camp where her father worked and lived while she was young.

“I was determined that what my father fought for, which was to ensure that Nigerians had a greater say in the scheme of things in Shell and thus in the petroleum industry would be championed and achieved by me in Government”

She noted that in every government, some people must land the big jobs which every human being would love to have.

She said “I chose to empower mostly Nigerians and took the power away from foreigners who used to dominate the sector. That was why we pushed for the Nigerian Content Bill, which mercifully we got through. So you cannot expect some forces not to hate me but I was shocked that Nigerians themselves were ready to crucify me mostly on rumours and not verifiable facts. Most leaders before me have suffered a similar fate so I take some comfort from that experience.”

She added that people seem to forget that she is happily married to Rear Admiral Alison Madueke and would not do anything to jeopardise her marriage or smear herself in the eyes of her husband, children and family. She also said that some of these men were unknown to her until she became a Minister and that although, in some cases, they later enjoyed a cordial relationship with her, it was no more than the kind of relationship she enjoyed with other successful Nigerian businessmen who respected and admired her for the way she was bringing Nigerians to the forefront of the industry.

She also said she was not unaware of certain insinuations about an intimate relationship with the former President.

But according to her,  she has never bothered her head about them because some people had made up their minds to spread those ugly tales about her.

“If you are in the corridor of power, you must expect anything, including mud and even bricks being thrown at you.”