In the concluding part of her interview with Mr Dele Momodu, Diezani who is currently undergoing treatment for cancer in a London hospital said "I actually left $5.6billion in the NLNG alone but no one is talking about it. I'm not seeking to be praised but to be acknowledged that I made some little contributions.
"That money could have been wasted on frivolities but I was determined to keep something for the incoming government once we lost the election."
Continuing, she recalled: "On 4th of May, Ngozi (Dr Okonjo-Iweala, ex-Minister of Finance) wrote to the President to release $2billion from the money to clear her table and pay contractors, which would have depleted the money to $3.6billion, but I said to the President we shouldn't do that.
"I explained what the accrued money was meant for and gave a detailed background of the account. Even in the past, Ngozi and the NSA had asked to be funded from it and I stood my ground because the money was meant for the gas project in Brass LNG in Bayelsa. Conoco Phillips pulling out affected it.
"We wanted to run a gas economy. It was the money that made it possible for President Buhari to pay the bail-out. If I was corrupt, I would have spent the money on paying contractors who would have been too happy to do anything. I got calls from some of them promising kickbacks if I could pay but I refused and the rest is history."
Diezani said she was not surprised about the allegations of corruption, adding that Buhari, despite his impeccable pedigree was alleged to have had N2.8billion vanished under his nose.
"Till this day no one has been able to prove that the then Major General Buhari stole a kobo," she said.