President Muhammadu Buhari said Tuesday in Abuja that his administration
has received firm assurances of cooperation from the United States and
other countries on the recovery and repatriation of funds stolen from
Nigeria.
Speaking at an audience with members of the Northern Traditional Rulers
Council led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar,
President Buhari said that it was now up to Nigeria to provide the
international community with the facts and figures needed to drive the
recovery effort.
“In the next three months, our administration will be busy getting those
facts and the figures to help us recover our stolen funds in foreign
countries,’’ the President told the traditional rulers .
Citing the report submitted by the Ahmed Joda-led transition committee,
President Buhari said that several revenue-generating institutions in the
country have been compromised leading to a weak economy.
On insecurity, the President said that the traditional rulers could play a
key role in stemming the terrorism and insurgency in Nigeria by
assisting the government with cost-effective intelligence gathering.
President Buhari also assured the traditional rulers that his
administration was working hard to end insecurity and terrorism in the
country in the shortest possible time with the cooperation of neighbouring
countries and the international community.
Acknowledging that Nigerians expected a lot from his administration, the
President appealed for patience and understanding while his government
works diligently to speedily overcome the huge national challenges it
inherited.
Sultan Abubakar had earlier presented the Northern Traditional Rulers’
recommendations to the President on issues related to national
development.
The Sultan told the President that as custodians of tradition and
stakeholders in the Nigerian project, the traditional rulers had a
responsibility to always advise political leaders on the “path of truth
and justice”.
“We have always advised our leaders, but their acceptance of our advice is
their own prerogative,” the Sultan said.
The traditional rulers assured the President of their unflinching support
for his administration’s efforts to fulfil its promises to Nigerians.