United Kingdom based journalist, Kayode Ogundamisi recently blasted Nigeria’s richest woman, Folorunsho Alakija for saying that she became wealthy for getting an oil block that many other companies turned down.
In a series of tweets, the journalist was relentless in his attack on the billionaire, accusing her of being the beneficiary of a corrupt government and that her money is not as clean as she makes it out to be.
Read his tweets below.
@alakijaofficial collected oil block in Nigeria ‘by Faith’ that is the incredible story of the Gi(ant) of Africa 1 day you are the unofficial housemaid in @AsoRock running errands for the first family and by magnanimity of @NGRPresident get a oil block and richest 9ja woman.
#FolorunsoAlakija for so long we have allowed those who shared Nigeria’s commonwealth tell story they want us to hear. @alakijaofficial is not a story of some hard-working woman who just stumbled into “bad oil well turned good oil well” miracle. I Will do a thread before Monday.
So let us take another look at @alakijaofficialFor so long she sold the story of how #FolorunsoAlakija SUDDENLY got LUCKY. stumbled into one of Nigeria’s ‘BAD’ oil block and God turned it around making it a gold mine. Her tale is not unusual of those who rape our commonwealth.
Who is @alakijaofficial official spin is that of an entrepreneur but the reality like most Nigerian so called billionaires is a 1% cabal who acted as fronts to those who hijack state power for the benefit of themselves against the interests of the majority. A close nit RACKET.
From @AlikoDangote Femi Otedola MKO Abiola etc hardly will you dig into the real source of the wealth of so called successful Nigerian billionaires without tracing elements of state loot, unfair allocation of monopoly & private capture of national wealth same as @alakijaofficial
In the brutal days of Nigerian military dictators, they had civilian collaborators who acted as fronts, they are those described by the first set of coup plotters as the “Ten percenters” They form companies, form banks, the coupist divert commonwealth to this banks & companies
@alakijaofficiala announced her arrival amongst Nigerian elite as a ‘Fashion designer’ gained the attention of Nigeria’s version of Imelda Marcos wife of then dictator General IBB. Maryam Babangida was a powerful co distributor of Nigeria’s commonwealth OIL. #FolorunsoAlakija
@alakijaofficial became the lead fashion designer to Maryam Babangida who was the wife of Nigeria’s then dictator General IBB. Alakija was very close to her and had unfettered access to the Babangida’s and the then First Lady @AsoRock #FolorunsoAlakija
Successive Nigerian governments, occupants of @AsoRock routinely turned Nigeria’s oil block into some sort of candy they distribute as gifts to concubines, friends, associates, etc. No transparency, no competitive bid, it is at the mercy of @NGRPresident @alakijaofficialgained
@alakijaofficial inroad into the Babangida’s was facilitated by her friend, Biodun Laja, Rilwanu Lukman who was Secretary General of OPEC from 1 January 1995 to 31 December 2000 was the point man in OIL well bazar. Between them and IBB Nigeria’s oil well was gifted like candy.
@alakijaofficial was gifted the oil block like bazar and the fashion designer abandoned her trade In incorporating Famfa Oil in 1991, and in 1993, it was awarded the leasehold rights to Oil Prospecting Licence, OPL 216. NOTE General Ibrahim Babangida was @NGRPresident 1985-1993.
@alakijaofficial continuously describe oil block confirmed to have recoverable reserves in excess of 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent as a ‘bad oil block turned lucky’ What she does not say is good or bad, then @NGRPresident@AsoRock should not turn commonwealth into bazar