Nigerian billionaire businessman Femi Otedola has dragged Umar Sani, a former media aide to ex-Vice President Namadi Sambo, to court in a ₦1 billion libel suit over allegations linking him to the fuel subsidy scandal under the Goodluck Jonathan administration.
Sani had accused Otedola of benefiting from the alleged ₦2 trillion siphoned through fraudulent subsidy claims. But Otedola dismissed the allegations as false and malicious, stressing that he was the first to raise alarm about the scam to then-President Goodluck Jonathan and Senate President Bukola Saraki.
Clarifying his role, Otedola explained that his company, Zenon Petroleum and Gas Limited, was a major importer of diesel, not petrol, and therefore had no dealings with the subsidy fund. He said diesel was deregulated at the time and never fell under the Petroleum Subsidy Fund scheme.
Announcing his legal action, Otedola said he would not allow his hard-earned reputation to be smeared with lies, describing Sani’s claims as a desperate attempt to rewrite history. He further urged President Bola Tinubu to release the full Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede panel report on subsidy fraud, insisting Nigerians deserve to know the truth about those who looted the treasury.
