I was number one public enemy during Jonathan’s administration: Shettima

Mr Shettima expressed his admiration to Mr Adoke for his courage, conviction and capacity to stand for what he believes in.

News Agency of Nigeria • July 10, 2025

Kashim Shettima [Credit: Shettima]

Vice-President Kashim Shettima, on Thursday in Abuja, recounted his ordeal under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Mr Shettima made the revelation at the public presentation of a book titled, “OPL 245: Inside Story of the $1.3 billion Nigeria Oil Block,” authored by a former Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke.

Mr Shettima said, “In the last four years of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, I was the most demonised person; I was the public enemy number one. There are two gentlemen seated here. Certain decisions are taken in a very rare peace circle. The president, the vice president, the Senate president and the speaker of the House of Representatives.

“In one of such conclaves, former President Goodluck Jonathan, with whom we have sheathed the sword and have now recalibrated our relationship, was muting the idea of removing this Borno State governor. Aminu Tambuwal, the then Speaker of the House of Representatives, had the courage to tell the President that, ‘Your Excellency, you don’t have the powers to remove an elected councillor.’ The President was still not convinced; he muted the idea at the Federal Executive Council.”

The vice-president also expressed his admiration to Mohammed Adoke for his courage, conviction and capacity to stand for what he believes in.

He stated, “He (Mr Adoke) told the then president that, Mr President, you do not have the powers to remove a sitting governor, not even a councillor. They sought the opinion of another SAN in the cabinet, Kabiru Turaki, who said ‘I’m concurring with the opinion of my senior colleague.’ That was how the matter was laid to rest but that was how my relationship Turaki, whond Aminu Tambuwal became eternally sealed.’’

Mr Shettima also commended Mr Adoke for the courage to forgive those who offended him.

The 26-chapter book on the OPL 245, also known as the Malabu oil deal scandal, centres on a 2011 agreement in which Royal Dutch Shell and Italy’s Eni paid $1.3 billion to acquire Nigeria’s deep-water oil licence.

The oil block is believed to hold nine billion barrels of crude.

(NAN)

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