Amina Mohammed denies $300m illegal timber exportation allegation, says 'I have never taken any bribe, it has never been in my character'

Former Minister of Environment now UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, has denied any involvement in a $300 million illegal exportation of rosewood logs(Timbers) from Nigeria to China. Amina who was Minister from November 2015 to February 2016, told The Cable in an exclusive interview that she has never taken a bribe as it has never been in her character to do so. 

 

Recall that the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), a Washington-based environmental campaigning organization, recently released a report accusing Mohammed of issuing export certificates to some Chinese importers to illegally clear more than $300 million worth of rosewood logs (timbers) out of Nigeria.

Reacting to the allegation, Amina said "No permits were backdated or illegally signed by me. We are therefore appalled if any legally obtained or forged certificates were used by unscrupulous rosewood traders to circumvent exportation procedures. Not only do I decry fraud and corruption, we also categorically reject any allegations of corruption or coercion in our effort to better address illegal logging and exportation. I categorically deny receiving any bribe. It has never been in my character. I never demanded neither did I collect any bribe, either cash or material. One of the first issues I had to deal with was deforestation. It was a huge concern as Nigeria was losing its forest cover at an alarming rate. For me, protecting the environment is sacrosanct. When I was minister, one of my first acts was to tackle illegal logging. What I found on ground was alarming” she said

Speaking further, the UN deputy Secretary-General said 'I read the headline and the body of the story but I did not see anywhere they reported who is probing me. Is it the Nigerian government or the Chinese government? I am not under any probe. I am not aware of any. I think the confusion came from the name of the NGO that did the report, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). It is not an agency of government. It is a non-governmental organisation. Their report says the illegal trade in kosso, or African rosewood, is worth $1 billion over the years, dating back to 2013 before I was appointed minister. They also said wood exports from Nigeria worth about $300 million were detained at the Chinese ports. EIA did not say I am under probe, much less for taking part in a $1 billion illicit trade. I am a bit surprised by the impression created by the reports'.