The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, says the corrupt-free record of President Muhammadu Buhari is a key facilitator for the return of the late General Sani Abacha loot and other stolen national assets.
Onyeama made this known on Thursday in Abuja during the 22nd Edition of the PMB Administration Scorecard.
He said that the global community sees Nigeria as a country led by a leader that has unimpeachable integrity locally and internationally.
He said: “Nigeria was able to leverage on Mr. President’s anti-corruption stance to start to repatriate a lot of loot that was stolen out of this country and in a huge amount, about 2 billion in record pounds sterling of Nigerian asset loots statched in foreign countries and we started to get this back.
“And again, I will say thanks to clearly one very robust diplomacy and engagement by this country and also with Mr. President’s engagement with various countries.
“Nigeria-US Binational Commission, in 2020, was a platform that was used to sign a tripartite agreement between the US, the Daily Week of Jersey and Nigeria to have some assets, $380,460,239 stolen funds of Nigeria repatriated to Nigeria.
“And again, we saw ongoing engagements facilitating the landmark tripartite agreement between Nigeria and this time Switzerland and the World Bank repatriate $322 million called the Abacha loot under a legal framework returned to Nigeria.
“We have also succeeded with the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates also getting funds coming back and all of these have been in the back of Mr. President’s anti-corruption fight.”
Onyeama said that Nigeria had also been able to get positive recognition in the international and multilateral forum because of the President’s anti-corruption personality, which he is renowned for the world over.
The Minister said that by Buhari’s principle and what the world knew about him had been able to become a brand for Nigeria.
He said: “Because of the personality of the President, within the framework of the UN, after trying for a very long time to get the UN General Assembly to pass a resolution on the promotion of international cooperation on illicit financial flows and strengthened good practices on asset return to foster sustainable development, Nigeria through its foreign policy, through its diplomatic relations was able to, with other like-minded countries, get this passed by the UN General Assembly as a framework.
“To hold countries to account and their companies and individuals doing business in Nigeria and other developing countries to be accountable with respect to illicit financial flows out of this country.
“Mr. President was very key in Nigeria becoming a member of the Open Government Partnership.
“And this comprises government leaders and civil society advocates and it promotes transparent participatory, inclusive and accountable governance.
“So with Nigeria being in these kinds of organisations, these are also statements to the global community that Nigeria is a country that respects the rule of law and transparency and fights corruption.
“In that context and because of that, Mr. President was appointed the African Union anti-corruption champion and through that was able to get through a lot of good practices and regulations, countries adopted, other African countries to promote anti-corruption.”
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