Nigeria’s Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has forged a partnership with Switzerland authorities to monitor the proposed repatriation of $321 million for the purpose of transparency and accountability.
The groups made this known at a forum on President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-graft campaign organised by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) and the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) in Abuja.
A representative of the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), Reverend David Ugolor, said the purpose of the contract with Swiss government was to establish a monitoring mechanism of the funds.
He said they would produce annual report on the management of the repatriated loot on the terms and condition that are independent of the template set by the Federal Government and the World Bank.
“We need to know the content of National Social Safety Nets Project (NSSNP). Instead of investing on general projects, Nigerians would prefer to see it dedicated to specific legacy projects to remind us that it was from recovered Abacha loot,” he stressed.
Speaking, Senior Special Assistant to President on Justice Reform, Juliet Ibekaku, said the Swiss loot would be used for ‘Cash Transfer, such as funding the 2018 budget, especially in critical social sectors so that Nigerians could benefit maximally for it.
She referenced bilateral agreements on recovery of assets the Federal Government has secured with many countries of the world on recovery of assets, such as United Kingdom, France, United States; UAE, among others, adding: “We need to review ICPC and EFCC Acts to accommodate seizure and confiscation of the stolen money.”
On anti-corruption crusade, Ibekaku maintained that it has affected education, health and other sectors of the economy, saying that the judiciary was not cooperating with the executive on the corruption fight.
0 comments:
Post a Comment