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President Buhari
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Nigeria is getting closer to recovering proceeds from stolen
oil with the identification of banks, financial institutions and countries
where payments for stolen Nigerian crude oil monies have been deposited. President Muhammadu
Buhari broke the news yesterday while hosting some United States Congressmen,
led by Representative Darrel Issa who visited him at the State House, Abuja. He
spoke just as former President Olusegun Obasanjo said there was a contrast between
the former Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who worked for him between 2003 and 2006 as finance
minister and the person who served in a similar, but enhanced position, in the
administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. Buhari told his guests
that his administration has taken concrete steps to recover all looted funds.
Buhari, who returned from
a four-day visit to the US on July 23, acknowledged the support and cooperation
his administration was getting from the international community in gathering
the required intelligence for tracing and recovering stolen national resources.
New Telegraph report continues:
Buhari said the good news is
that Nigeria, under his leadership, is getting the full cooperation of the
international community, particularly Britain and the US.
“We are getting
cooperation from the international community, including information on ships
that take crude oil from Nigeria and change direction, or pour their contents
into other ships midstream.
“Some monies were paid to
individual accounts. We are identifying the financial institutions and
countries that are involved.
“I have been assured that
when we get all our documents together, the United States and other countries
will treat our case with sympathy,” the president added.
He also said his
administration would welcome more regular meetings of the Nigeria-United States
Bi-National Commission. According to him, the commission could serve as a more
useful platform for the promotion of bilateral trade and economic relations as
well as joint cooperation in the war against terrorism. Earlier, Darrel had
assured Buhari that the United States would support Nigeria against Boko Haram
by providing training, intelligence and military platforms. “We look forward to
helping you in many ways to end the Boko Haram insurgency and the theft of
crude oil in the Gulf of Guinea,” he said.
Buhari, during his US
visit, had said in the next three months, his administration would be busy
getting those facts and the figures to help the quick recovery of all stolen
funds stashed in foreign banks. While citing the report submitted by the Ahmed
Joda-led transition committee, he said several revenue-generating institutions
in the country had also been compromised, leading to a weak economy.
Shortly after the US trip,
Edo State Governor, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, who was part of the presidential
delegation, had said US officials told the Nigerian delegation in Washington
that a minister in the Jonathan administration allegedly stole US$6 billion of
crude oil monies.
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