Abacha loot
– Editorial of The Nation Newspaper
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has moved once again to defend the common interest. The very active non-governmental organisation (NGO) has said it would take the Federal Government to court if it fails to respond to the request for details of the Abacha loot repatriated since 1999.
The NGO, through a request filed with the Ministry of Finance and National Planing on February 14 under the Freedom of Information Act, sought to be furnished with details of how much has been recovered so far, from which countries, when, and the list of projects funded or being funded by the money. SERAP also seeks to know details of the contract agreements, their locations, contractors and level of execution.
We commend SERAP’s action in holding government to account. Public funds must be deployed responsibly and transparently at all times. We note that President Muhammadu Buhari rode into power in 2015 on the plank of change, promising to deploy his acclaimed personal integrity in ensuring that nothing would be done under the table or in the dark. This is another opportunity for the President and his team to demonstrate that Nigerians matter.
The government should realise that the world is watching Nigeria now, and the country’s poor reputation, with handling the treasury, presumably spurred the insulting condition attached to restriction of the latest batch of the loot stashed in a private foreign account by the late maximum ruler. During the Buhari first term, the administration claimed to have committed the repatriated loot to the Social Intervention Programmes (SIP). But till date, full account has not been tendered.
This government should realise that, unless the culture of transparency is instituted in managing national affairs, there will be no development. There must therefore be a culture and structure intolerant of privatisation of the common wealth.
The late Gen. Sani Abacha is reputed to be one of the most corrupt leaders ever, ranked fourth behind dictators, Mohammed Suharto of Indonesia, Ferdinand Marcos of The Philippines and his fellow African Mobutu Sese Seko on Zaire (now Congo Democratic Republic).
Abacha is believed to have fleeced Nigeria of about US$ 5 billion. This is not an enviable company to keep. As a signatory to the United Nations Convention on Corruption, Nigeria should be seen to be taking action to curb graft in public and private life. Today, many companies in the West are reluctant to open letters of credit for our businesses, neither are many of their banks readily willing to lend money for transactions with Nigerians.
Like SERAP, we ask, how much has been recovered and when? The Ministry of Finance should respond to this formal request immediately. Only when our leaders show they are responsible and transparent in handling finance would other countries accord us the resect we deserve as a sovereign country and people.
Besides, as a people, we have to be less tolerant of kleptocrats in power. When they are exposed, we should insist on prosecution, as has been the case in other countries. It’s time to take action.
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