Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, has welcomed the Federal Government’s resolution of the long-standing dispute over Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL) 245, describing the development as long overdue and vindicating actions taken during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
In a statement on Friday, following the government’s announcement of a settlement with Eni and Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited, Adoke said he “wholeheartedly” welcomed the implementation of agreements reached years ago to resolve the controversial oil block dispute.
“I wholeheartedly welcome the decision of the Federal Government of Nigeria to finally implement the OPL 245 Resolution Agreements nearly 15 years after the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan resolved the knotty disputes between the concerned parties and tried to set the oil-rich block on the path to productivity,” he said.
Adoke also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for concluding the process, noting that it demonstrated leadership and economic understanding. “I also commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR for finally resolving this thorny issue in the national interest and in the spirit of statesmanship. This is a testimony to the fact that he fully understands how the economy works and the importance of the oil-rich asset to the attainment of national economic goals,” he added.
However, Adoke criticised the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, accusing it of undermining earlier efforts to resolve the dispute. He said the Buhari administration “decided to scandalise and criminalise the hard work we did in the national interest to resolve the disputes caused by the unilateral revocation of the oil block by President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2002.”
Adoke recalled that his role in resolving the OPL 245 dispute during the Jonathan administration led to years of public attacks and legal battles. “It is most unfortunate that I was subjected to humiliation and defamation home and abroad for the patriotic role I played as the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice in resolving the dispute to get this vital national asset working,” he said.
He also called for an official apology from the Federal Government for the persecution and humiliation he endured over nine years, stating that the resolution strengthened his demand. “I strongly believe that I deserve an unreserved apology from the Federal Government for the persecution and humiliation I was subjected for nine years and the scar I still bear in my body simply because I advised the Goodluck Jonathan administration to do the right thing on the oil block,” he said.
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Despite the controversies surrounding OPL 245 over the years, Adoke said he had forgiven critics who sought to tarnish his name. “Nevertheless, I forgive all those who connived to smear my name across the world. I take it as part of the burden of service to my fatherland. I remain steadfast and unshaken in my belief in Nigeria,” he added.
OPL 245, one of Nigeria’s most commercially promising offshore oil assets, has been at the centre of legal disputes and corruption allegations for decades, involving international oil companies and multiple court cases across several jurisdictions. The settlement announced by President Tinubu on Thursday is expected to clear the way for new investments and development of the deepwater field.
Earlier, on March 3, the Federal Government divided the controversial OPL 245 into four new assets to be operated by Eni and Shell, a move aimed at unlocking one of Nigeria’s largest untapped deepwater reserves after nearly 30 years of legal and political disputes.
In 2022, Adoke welcomed the Commercial Court of England ruling that dismissed allegations of fraud in the OPL 245 transaction involving Nigeria and JP Morgan Chase Bank, a case in which Nigeria lost $1.7 billion over the bank’s role in transferring funds to a former petroleum minister convicted for corruption.