Admiral Alison Madueke, former Chief of Naval Staff, has filed a suit with the Lagos State High Court to prohibit his estranged wife, Diezani Alison-Madueke, from using his surname. The former Military Governor of Anambra and Imo States married Diezani under the Marriage Act on June 30, 1999.

According to him, Diezani filed for divorce in November 2021, citing their marriage’s irretrievable disintegration. This prompted the Court to dissolve their marriage in April 2022. Despite the court’s dissolution of their marriage, Diezani has yet to comply with the request to return to her maiden name, Agama. Madueke alleged in the petition that Diezani’s continuous use of his name is causing him greater embarrassment and reputational damage.

“The respondent has continued representing herself as the petitioner’s wife even after the marriage was dissolved. The respondent is undergoing criminal prosecutions in both Nigeria and the United Kingdom. The persistent portrayal of the respondent as the petitioner’s spouse is creating embarrassment, a misleading impression, and tarnishing the petitioner’s reputation, integrity, and public image,” it continues.

He seeks a perpetual injunction to prevent Diezani from using his name again and compel her to use her maiden name instead. Madueke also wants Diezani to publicly disclose in a national newspaper in Nigeria and the United Kingdom that she no longer uses his surname.

Diezani Alison-Madueke has held various key posts in the Nigerian Government, including Minister of Transportation, Mines and Steel Development, and Petroleum Resources. In November 2014, she was also elected as the first female President of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

She is accused of embezzling $2.5 billion from the Nigerian Government during her term, which resulted in her detention and legal actions in both Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

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