The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi, has faulted comments attributed to the media office of Atiku Abubakar over the resolution of the OPL 245 dispute, describing them as misleading.
In a statement on Wednesday, the AGF said, “The attention of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice has been drawn to media reports attributed to the Atiku Abubakar Media Office, which contain misrepresentations concerning the recent resolution of disputes associated with the OPL 245 oil block.”
He added that the former Vice-President attempted to downplay what he described as a landmark achievement.
“In that publication, the former Vice-President sought to downplay what is, by all objective standards, a landmark achievement of the current administration in brokering the settlement of a protracted dispute spanning nearly three decades,” he said.
The AGF traced the history of the oil block.
“It will be recalled that the block was originally awarded to Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd (Malabu) in April 1998, revoked in July 2001, and subsequently allocated to Shell Nigeria Ultra-Deep Limited (SNUD) in May 2002. These actions gave rise to extensive litigation and public hearings before the National Assembly.”
He explained that the disputes were addressed through a 2011 resolution agreement.
“The disputes arising from the revocation and reallocation were eventually addressed through the 2011 Resolution Agreement involving the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), Malabu, SNUD (now succeeded by Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited – SNEPCo), and Nigerian Agip Exploration (NAE)/Eni entities.”
According to him, the transactions underwent global scrutiny.
“Subsequently, the transactions and actions arising from the 2011 Agreement were subjected to rigorous judicial scrutiny… including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Italy. These proceedings did not establish any wrongdoing against Eni, SNEPCo, or the transaction as a whole.”
The AGF said Nigeria faced potential liabilities exceeding $2bn due to arbitration.
“They contended that the delay constituted a breach of Nigeria’s obligations… As a result, Nigeria faced a potential liability exceeding US$2 billion in damages and associated costs.”
He clarified that critics did not participate in arbitration proceedings.
“It is noteworthy that… none of the stakeholders now being referenced by the former Vice-President participated in those proceedings,” he said.
Fagbemi stressed the economic importance of OPL 245.
“OPL 245… has long been regarded as one of the country’s most commercially promising hydrocarbon assets… The decisive action taken by the current administration is aimed at resolving these long-standing issues.”
He added that the project could boost production significantly.
“OPL 245 is projected to contribute approximately 150,000 barrels per day to Nigeria’s oil production capacity,” he said.
The AGF cited a recent court ruling backing the government’s position.
“In Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited v. Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd (2025)… the Court of Appeal dismissed Malabu’s challenge… holding that the action was statute-barred and constituted an abuse of court process.”
He criticised ongoing opposition.
“The persistence of these criticisms… strongly suggests that they are driven not by patriotism… but by undisclosed and self-serving interests.”
Fagbemi urged Nigerians to disregard such claims.
“Nigerians should, therefore, view such interventions with the caution they deserve and reject efforts aimed at derailing progress for narrow personal or political gain,” he said.