Vice-President Kashim Shettima claims that but for the intervention of former Speaker of House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, and Mohammed Adoke, Attorney General of the Federation and former Minister of Justice he would have been sacked as Governor of Borno State by former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Shettima, Governor of Borno State between 2011 and 2015, spoke on Thursday while recounting his ordeal under the administration of the former President Goodluck Jonathan at the public presentation of a book titled, OPL 245: Inside Story of the $1.3 billion Nigeria Oil Block, authored by Adoke.
The relationship between Jonathan and Shettima became sour over the insecurity in Borno State, especially, the kidnapping of nearly 300 schoolgirls from the Chibok area of the state by Boko Haram in April 2014.
Shettima frequently accused President Jonathan of failing to rise up to his responsibility as the commander -in-chief of the armed forces by tackling insecurity in his state.
On the other hand, some aides of the President also frequently accused the Governor of complicity in the insecurity challenge.
Shettima revealed on Thursday that in the last four years of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration which was when the Chibok girls were abducted, he the most demonized person in the country.
Shettima said: “I was the Public Enemy Number One,” the Vice President said. “There are two gentlemen seated here. Certain decisions are taken in a very rarefied 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 mooting the idea of removing this Borno 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 mooted the idea at the Federal Executive Council.”
The Vice-President also expressed his admiration to Mr Mohammed Adoke for his courage, conviction and capacity to stand for what he believes in.
”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 for 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 with Mr Adoke and Aminu Tambuwal became eternally sealed. “
Shettima also commended Adoke for the courage to forgive all those who had offended him in the course of his public duty.
The 26-chapter book on the OPL 245, also known as 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 reportedly holds an estimated 9 billion barrels of crude.
