By Frank Tietie
With Mohammed Bello Adoke (MBA), SAN, former Attorney-General of the Federation, at a time when Nigeria witnessed a period in which governance was firmly anchored on law, due process, and institutional discipline. During his tenure under President Goodluck Jonathan, fidelity to legal procedure was not merely rhetorical but was indeed practised. Ironically, it was that same commitment to documentation and process that ultimately shielded him from what became one of the most extensive domestic and international persecutions ever mounted against a former Minister under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Despite relentless investigations, high-profile prosecutions, and an array of charges with a civil case that spanned jurisdictions, he emerged vindicated. After years of scrutiny, nothing criminal was found against him, and, was without any civil liability, the latest libel case against him being thrown out recently.
My own appreciation of MBA deepened after reading his memoir, ‘Burden of Service’, a work distinguished by its candour, verisimilitude, and documentary precision. It is not merely a personal account but a meticulous chronicle of public service under intense political pressure.
I am therefore both pleased and proud to receive copies of his latest book, OPL 245, another magnum opus that seeks to set the record straight on one of the most controversial oil and gas transactions in recent Nigerian history. In it, he confronts the narratives, distortions, and geopolitical interests that shaped public perception of the matter.
When I asked him why he chose to return from exile to face the charges brought against him in Nigeria, his response was characteristically resolute: “With the truth, you fear nothing.”
Perhaps his most enduring lesson for anyone in public office is simple but profound: “keep meticulous records from Day One”. When integrity is matched with documentation, even the most determined traducers and political enemies will not find any foothold for mischief, whether or not they control government.
-Frank Tietie
