Vice President Kashim Shettima has called for transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s public service, urging former and current public officials to summon the courage to document their lives and stewardship while in service.
He gave the advice on Thursday during the public presentation of “OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block,” a memoir written by former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke.
The Vice President noted that public servants live under perpetual scrutiny, as life itself is litigation with no end and no final adjournment in the pursuit of justice.
Recalling the highly litigious (Oil Prospecting Licence 245) OPL 245 deal, VP Shettima said the book serves as an access card to the next phase of hearings in the court of public opinion, just as he emphasized that public service must be remembered, scrutinized, and preserved as part of national history.
“Each of us who has had the privilege of serving this country owes the people an account of our stewardship. Our stories are not ours alone. They belong to the nation. They belong to history,” the Vice President stated.
VP Shettima described the culture of secrecy in Nigeria’s public institutions as a form of silence that must be broken.
“There is silence to preserve relationships. There is silence to protect secrets too delicate to disclose. And there is silence for memories we would rather forget. But as a generation of leaders, we must summon the courage to document our journeys,” he said.
Courageous Move
The Vice President described Adoke’s reflections in the book as courageous, saying the former minister’s claim of being “bloodied but unbowed” will resonate with anyone who has walked the corridors of power in Nigeria.
His words: “There is no doubt that those named in this book will tell their side of the story. That, indeed, is how history finds its balance. Every witness must speak. Every accused person must speak. Every participant must speak.
“Life itself is litigation with no end. There is no final adjournment in the pursuit of justice. There is no permanent discharge in the reckoning of history. We are always being summoned—not by a judge, but by conscience and by posterity.”
National Memory
VP Shettima emphasized the need for public officials to see themselves as custodians of national memory, stressing that the importance of storytelling is not in perfection but in the necessity of preserving the truth for future generations.
Chairman of the occasion, former President Goodluck Jonathan, applauded the author’s wisdom, courage, and doggedness in the face of intimidation and blackmail, describing the public presentation of the book as a celebration of victory over deliberate persecution.
Represented by former Senate President, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, the former President cautioned politicians against recklessness and abuse of office, urging all public office holders to always commit to the virtues of justice, fairness, and service to humanity.
Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, commended the commitment and hard work of the author in chronicling his account of stewardship as Attorney General of the Federation.
Makinde noted that beyond contextualizing the disputed OPL 245, the book x-rays broader issues of institutional governance and justice framework in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, among others.
He said the public presentation of the book will, among other things, emphasize the need for policy reforms and the reinvigoration of the culture of documentation in public service, which, according to him, are essential ingredients of national development.
The author of the book, and former Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Adoke, said the motivation behind writing the book was not to denigrate any individual or group, but to set the records straight and provide insights into the issues surrounding the $1.3 billion Nigerian Oil Bloc transaction.
He said while he has forgiven the individuals and organizations that played active roles in the saga that caused significant damage to his person, family, and business, he remains unwavering in his belief and commitment to the Nigerian project and its success.
Adoke called for holistic reforms in the Nigerian justice and public service systems to forestall a recurrence of his unfortunate experience.
While reviewing the book, former Special Adviser to ex-President Jonathan on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, agreed with the author that the book is, indeed, therapeutic, stressing that the book needed to be written to set the records straight for posterity.
“The focus is on the OPL245, in an extensive and comprehensive account of the allegations about his role, the burden he has endured in terms of what he called clinical persecution, or “the lies and lies and more lies” that were told against him and his eventual vindication.
“Adoke’s OPL 245 is, by his admission, therapeutic – a book that needed to be written to set the record straight for posterity and to clear his name through a documentation of facts,” Abati stated.
Also present at the event were the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji; former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki; Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Mr. Joel Salifu; former Governors of Kwara, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed; Ekiti, Dr Kayode Fayemi; Kano, Rabiu Kwankwaso; Bauchi, Adamu Muazu; Kaduna, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, and Emir of Lafia, Justice Sidi Bage Mohammed (rtd), among other friends and associates of the author.
