A former Defence Minister, Lt.-Gen. Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, has said ex-Petroleum Resources Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke is an expert who excelled in corruption.
He said the ex-minister rattled his trust in the ability of women to avoid soiling their hands in acts of malfeasance.
Mrs. Alison-Madueke has been having series of run-ins with the law since 2015 after leaving office as minister.
She is currently on trial over an alleged £100,000 bribe by British authorities.
Speaking yesterday at Umuchigbo in Iji Nike, Enugu State, while inaugurating the Goodwill Medical Centre (GMC) built and equipped by the T. Y. Danjuma Foundation, the erstwhile Chief of Army Staff (COAS) said the ex-Petroleum Resources Minister set a record that is yet to be beaten by anybody else in the realm of corruption.
The GMC project is the brainchild of Prof. Uche Amazigo, Nigeria’s renowned pro-poor public health specialist, and one of the few female Africans to have led a specialised UN agency, overseeing a highly successful multilateral partnership in global health.
Danjuma said: “I used to say that if you want anything properly done and delivered on time without any excuses, give the job to a woman, until we had a female Minister of Petroleum. That woman excelled in corruption. She set a record that is yet to be beaten by anybody else.
“So, I was in the process of reviewing that my statement when I met one lady, Prof. Uche Amazigo. Uche and I have come a very long way. My first encounter with Uche was around mid-October 2010 when she, accompanied by Mrs. Franca Ilamiji, another Igbo woman.”
The former Army chief said Prof. Amazigo made him to believe again that women remain the most trusted people to prudently manage public funds.
“Uche and I have been colleagues for many years. After working for T. Y. Danjuma Foundation, I thought I had seen the end of Uche. I was mistaken.
“In early March 2022, Prof. Uche, accompanied by two other female professors, presented to me a request to provide financial support for building and equipping a low cost high efficiency medical centre to provide excellent medical services by predominantly female medical doctors, nurses and midwives who chose to dedicate their time to humanity.
“I listened to her carefully and asked a few questions. I wanted to know if they had cash; the name of the organisation; and how she thought the all-female workers for a medical centre would function. She was ready for my questions.
“The result of all these questions is what you see here today. This magnificent edifice can only be built by women at the price they accounted to me.
“Men will take your money and you won’t see any building or money.”
Saluting Prof. Uche and her team for a job well done, Danjuma said he hoped they would surpass the goals they set for themselves.
Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah, who was represented by his deputy, Ifeanyi Ossai, hailed Danjuma for epitomising leadership in public service and private life.
The governor also hailed Prof. Amazigo for initiating and completing the laudable project, which would be beneficial to Enugu State residents.