Diezani Alison-Madueke’s biography and career: age, net worth, where is she now?
Diezani Alison-Madueke made history as the first female President of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). She is a Nigerian politician who headed various government ministries in the past. Did you know she is a trained architect?
Source: Getty Images
Diezani Alison-Madueke has been in the limelight for years. She has held significant positions in the Nigerian federal government. Discover more about her today.
Profile summary
| Full name | Diezani K. Alison-Madueke |
| Gender | Female |
| Date of birth | 6th December 1960 |
| Age | 62 years (as of September 2023) |
| Place of birth | Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria |
| Nationality | Nigerian-Dominican |
| Ethnicity | Black (Ijaw) |
| Zodiac sign | Sagittarius |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Sexuality | Straight |
| Hair colour | Black |
| Eye colour | Black |
| Marital status | Married |
| Spouse | Allison Madueke |
| Biological children | 1 |
| Stepchildren | 5 |
| Father | Chief Frederick Abiye Agama |
| Mother | Beatrice Agama |
| Siblings | 2 |
| Alma mater | Federal School of Arts and Sciences, Howard University and Cambridge Judge Business School |
| Profession | Politician and architect |
Who is Diezani Alison-Madueke?
Diezani K. Alison-Madueke is a seasoned politician and architect. She is recognised as the first female President of OPEC. She has served in different senior federal government positions in Nigeria.
How old is Diezani Alison-Madueke?
The politician is 62 years old as of September 2023. She was born on 6th December 1960, and her Zodiac sign is Sagittarius.
Where is Diezani Alison-Madueke from?
The politician is from Nigeria, and she is a Nigerian citizen by birth. She was born in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. She has also been a Dominican citizen since 2015. She resides in London, United Kingdom.
Family background
The politician was born into a well-up family. Her father is Chief Frederick Abiye Agama, and Beatrice Agama is her mother. The politician is an Ijaw princess.
She has two known siblings. She has a sister named Osiyo Agama. in 2014, Osiyo was kidnapped in Port Harcourt. Her abductors released her after about nine days.
Her brother is Joseph Agama. Joseph was also abducted in March 2015, a few months after his sister's ordeal.
Source: Getty Images
Educational background
The politician started her education at Shell camp. She then joined Hussey Model School after the Nigerian Civil War.
She enrolled in Township School, Port Harcourt, in 1968 and later went on to Holy Rosary Government Girls Secondary School. She sat for her WASCE in 1975.
She then joined the Federal School of Arts and Sciences for her A’ Levels and moved to the United Kingdom for higher studies. She started a course in architecture but did not complete it.
Instead, she joined Howard University in the United States of America and graduated with a bachelor's degree on 8th December 1992.
In 2002, she joined Cambridge Judge Business School for an MBA programme. She is a beneficiary of the Chevening scholarship.
Career
After completing her studies, the former minister moved back to Nigeria. She joined Shell Petroleum Development Corporation in the Lagos office as an architectural consultant.
She rose through the ranks at Shell Nigeria and was appointed Head of Corporate Issues and Crisis Management Unit in 1997. After completing her master's degree, she became the firm's Lead Joint Ventures Representation Advisor.
In 2006, she was appointed the Executive Director of Shell and became the first woman to hold the position in Nigeria.
On 26th July 2007, she was appointed the Federal Minister of Transportation by former president Umaru Musa Yar'Adua. She was in office from 26th July 2007 to 17th December 2008.
On 17th December 2008, Umaru Musa Yar'Adua appointed her the Federal Minister of Mines and Steel Development. She held the position until 17th March 2010, when Musa Mohammed Sada succeeded her.
On 6th April 2010, she was appointed Federal Minister of Petroleum Resources by President Goodluck Jonathan. She held the position until 28th May 2015 as part of the presidential transition to Goodluck's successor.
On 27th November 2014, she was appointed President of OPEC, a position she held until 2nd December 2015. She went to work for the Commonwealth of Dominica as a Trade and Investment Commissioner after leaving public office.
What is Diezani Alison-Madueke's net worth?
While it is apparent that the politician is wealthy, her exact net worth remains undisclosed in the public domain. She is allegedly worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Who is Diezani Alison-Madueke's husband?
The politician has been married to retired Admiral Allison Madueke since 1999. Her husband was once the Chief of Naval Staff. He was also the governor of Imo and Anambra States at various times in his career.
Allison was formerly married to a lady known as Uche, who passed away in 1996. He felt lonely after Uche's demise and found it challenging to raise his children alone.
He met Diezani in church in 1998. His church needed to construct a permanent site, and two committees were set up to help with the project.
Diezani had been appointed to one of the committees, and he first met her there. The two built a friendship before getting married in 1999.
Children
The politician is a mother of six. She has one biological child and five stepchildren. The name of Diezani Alison-Madueke's son (biological) remains undisclosed in the public domain. The names of her stepchildren are Ngozi, Uju, Ogonna, Chimezie, and Chima.
Source: Getty Images
Diezani Alison-Madueke's latest news
In August 2023, the United Kingdom's National Crime Agency charged the former oil minister with bribery offences. The organisation reported that she accepted bribes in exchange for multimillion-pound oil and gas contracts while in government.
The bribes she received included at least £100,000 in cash, luxury family holidays, gifts from high-end designer shops, flights on private jets, multiple London properties, payment of private school fees, and chauffeur-driven cars.
The former minister, who currently resides in London, will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on 2nd October 2023. Assets related to the alleged offences were frozen as part of the investigation.
This is not the first time the former minister has been accused of financial misconduct and bribery. During her time in office, she was accused of organising the diversion of $28 billion from the Nigerian treasury.
In 2022, Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the final forfeiture of two Abuja properties and two luxury cars belonging to the former minister due to corruption charges.
Two of Diezani Alison-Madueke's cars that were taken away were a black BMW saloon and a black Jaguar saloon valued at ₦32 million. The seized properties were Plot 1854 Mohammed Mahashir Street and No. 6 Aso Drive.
In October 2009, the Senate of Nigeria indicted her and recommended prosecution for the transfer of ₦1.2 billion. The amount was allegedly deposited into the private account of a toll company without following due process.
Where is Diezani Alison-Madueke now?
The former minister is based in London's St John's Wood suburb. She has maintained a relatively low profile since leaving public office. She has been out on bail since her arrest in London in 2015.
Trivia
- In September 2011, she was awarded an honorary Doctorate degree in Management Sciences by the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna.
- She underwent treatment for breast cancer in the United Kingdom.
- There was an unsuccessful attempt to kidnap her and her son from her Abuja house in September 2008.
Diezani Alison-Madueke is a former politician who served as the Federal Minister of Petroleum Resources from April 2010 to May 2015. She is based in London, where she is currently facing charges of bribery and corruption.
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