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Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has said the plan
by the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to share the $350million
(around N115 billion) loot recovered from former military ruler, late Gen.
Sani Abacha among estimated 300,000 households, with each getting around
$14 (around N5,000) a month is “mis-targeted and would not bring any
tangible benefits to the beneficiaries.”
SERAP said, “The authorities have a legal obligation under the UN
Convention against Corruption to which Nigeria is a state party to make
sure that the returned Abacha loot is properly and efficiently used, both
from the viewpoint of using asset recovery as a tool of ensuring justice
to victims of corruption and breaking the cycle of grand corruption. But
the plan to share the loot among households is mere tokenism and would
neither have significant impact on poverty alleviation nor satisfy the
twin objectives of justice and development.”
The government announced last week that it would starting from July
distribute the returned loot by the Swiss authorities to around 300,000
households, with each getting around $14 a month.
Reacting, SERAP in a statement today by its deputy director Timothy
Adewale said, “Rather than spending the loot to fund the National Social
Safety Net Program (NAASP), President Buhari should, within the framework
of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), create a central recovery
account/trust funds, with oversight mechanisms to ensure repatriated funds
are transparently and accountably spent to invest in tangible projects
that would improve access of those living in poverty to essential public
services such as water, education and health. Distributing N5,000 to
household would neither improve the socio-economic conditions of
beneficiaries nor achieve the enduring value of a more transparent and
robust system to manage recovered loot.”
The organization said, “The return of the Abacha loot is a chance for
President Buhari to commit to the enforcement of the 2016 judgment by
Justice Mohammed Idris, which ordered his government to publish disclose
the spending of recovered loot since 1999 by past and present governments
till date, as well as details of projects on which the funds were spent;
and to vigorously push the National Assembly to pass the Proceeds of Crime
Bill. Buhari should make these happen before the next general elections if
he is to truly demonstrate his oft-repeated commitment to fight grand
corruption.”
The statement read in part: “The government should source funds elsewhere
to continue its NAASP. The authorities should do the right thing with the
returned loot and show Nigerians that they can properly and efficiently
invest the funds in projects that would provide tangible benefits to the
victims of corruption who are the socially and economically vulnerable
sectors of the population. The authorities can use the loot to fund
universal healthcare programme and a tuition assistance programme that
would provide post-secondary/university education scholarships to young
Nigerians from poor families and who would otherwise lack the resources to
carry out their studies.
“In any case, distributing the returned loot to households in 19 states
because the remaining 17 state governments have not yet put in place the
appropriate platform through which to implement the NAASP is both unfair
and discriminatory. The planned distribution is also vulnerable to abuse
and corruption by state governors, who may push for the funds to be given
to their supporters and thus used for parochial and political purposes.
The proper and efficient spending of recovered funds is key for
development and can support efforts to combat grand corruption.”
“Spending returned looted funds offers an opportunity to right wrongs
committed by corrupt officials, rebuild public trust, and invest in the
development of communities most affected by grand corruption in the
country to improve the prospects for meeting many of the Sustainable
Development Goals. It is important for the authorities to ameliorate the
plight of communities that have borne the brunt of years of grand
corruption by providing genuine opportunities for the socially and
economically vulnerable sectors for personal development, and access to
essential services as well as promoting the rule of law particularly by
enforcing the judgment by Justice Idris.”
“President Buhari should re-negotiate the Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) with the Swiss authorities in full consultation with the communities
affected by grand corruption and to ensure that the returned loot is used
to promote justice and development. Using asset recovery to promote
justice and development is about letting those who abuse their power for
personal gain foot the bill for projects that would improve access of
victims of corruption to essential services and pursuing genuine poverty
alleviation programmes.”
It would be recalled that President Buhari made the recovery of stolen
assets a major part of his 2015 election campaign. Switzerland is believed
to have returned about $1bn to Nigeria over the last 10 years. Roberto
Balzaretti, one of the Swiss officials involved in the negotiations with
Nigeria, reportedly said that the returned loot would be paid in
instalments and in small amounts from July under the supervision of the
World Bank, which will also conduct regular audits. Mr Balzaretti also
said that “if the first instalment is not properly accounted for,
subsequent payment will be halted.”