British and Swiss governments, yesterday, pledged to return looted Nigerian funds stashed away in various personal bank accounts in their countries.
The two countries also promised to work with Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and other anti-graft agencies in the fight against official corruption and theft.
The new British High Commissioner, Mr. Paul Arkwright, and Swiss Ambassador, Mr. Eric Mayoraz, made the promises at separate audiences with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, during the presentation of their letters of credence.
President Buhari, however, called for the speeding up of the processes of investigation, prosecution and repatriation of public funds stolen by past corrupt public officials and their accomplices.
Buhari said: ‘‘Switzerland and Britain have been very helpful, indeed, in the recovery of our assets. But we must build on what we have started.
‘‘It is also important to send a signal to the elite that it is no longer business as usual. I appreciate the efforts of Prime Minister David Cameron on this issue.”
Also, Mr. Arkwright assured the President of Britain’s preparedness to give Nigeria the fullest support and assistance in the recovery of its looted resources.
“We are most ready to help. We have a good team at the National Crime Agency, NCA, working with your Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Tell us where and how we can help and we will provide the assistance.”
Buhari told the new Swiss Ambassador, Mr. Eric Mayoraz: “We will get our Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to work with you to ensure that all the stolen funds are returned safely to government coffers as quickly as possible.”
President Buhari also received the letters of credence of the ambassador of the State of Palestine, Mr. Saleh Fhied Saleh; ambassador of Myanmar, Mr. Tha Aung Nyun and that of Slovakia, Mr. Peter Holasek.
Vanguard
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
President Muhammadu Buhari warns the corrupt: "No longer business as usual"
Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday warned there was no longer any hiding place for the corrupt, as he hailed British and Swiss support for the recovery of stolen public funds.
"Switzerland and Britain have been very helpful indeed in the recovery of our assets. But we must build on what we have started," he told both countries' ambassadors separately in Abuja.
"It is also important to send a signal to the elite that it is no longer business as usual," he said, according to a statement from his office.
Buhari has vowed to recover "mind-boggling" amounts of stolen oil money and bring those responsible to book, as part of a drive against corruption and to replenish depleted government coffers.
The arrest in London last week of the country's former oil minister Diezani Alison-Madueke on suspicion of bribery and money laundering has shocked Nigeria's political establishment.
She was one of five people arrested on Friday as part of a probe into international corruption dating back to 2013, when she was a serving minister under president Goodluck Jonathan.
Magistrates in London on Monday granted police permission to retain for six months £27,000 ($41,000/36,500 euros) in cash seized during her arrest.
Alison-Madueke -- the first woman to hold the post of oil minister and the rotating presidency of the global oil cartel OPEC -- has previously been accused of involvement in large-scale fraud.
She has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
On her watch, it was alleged the state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) failed to remit $20 billion in revenue to the central bank.
Nigerian authorities had received "much help" from Britain, Switzerland and other nations to track down stolen public funds "by officials of past administrations", Buhari said.
But he called for "the processes of investigation, prosecution and repatriation of Nigerian funds stolen by corrupt public officials and their accomplices" to be speeded up.
Switzerland in March said it would return about $380 million linked to Nigeria's former military ruler Sani Abacha that was placed in several overseas accounts controlled by his family.
Some $500 million in Swiss bank accounts had already been returned.
Abacha, in power from 1993 until his death in 1998, is suspected of having siphoned off $2.2 billion from Nigeria's central bank in what the United States has called "brazen acts of kleptocracy".
AFP
"Switzerland and Britain have been very helpful indeed in the recovery of our assets. But we must build on what we have started," he told both countries' ambassadors separately in Abuja.
"It is also important to send a signal to the elite that it is no longer business as usual," he said, according to a statement from his office.
Buhari has vowed to recover "mind-boggling" amounts of stolen oil money and bring those responsible to book, as part of a drive against corruption and to replenish depleted government coffers.
The arrest in London last week of the country's former oil minister Diezani Alison-Madueke on suspicion of bribery and money laundering has shocked Nigeria's political establishment.
She was one of five people arrested on Friday as part of a probe into international corruption dating back to 2013, when she was a serving minister under president Goodluck Jonathan.
Magistrates in London on Monday granted police permission to retain for six months £27,000 ($41,000/36,500 euros) in cash seized during her arrest.
Alison-Madueke -- the first woman to hold the post of oil minister and the rotating presidency of the global oil cartel OPEC -- has previously been accused of involvement in large-scale fraud.
She has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
On her watch, it was alleged the state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) failed to remit $20 billion in revenue to the central bank.
Nigerian authorities had received "much help" from Britain, Switzerland and other nations to track down stolen public funds "by officials of past administrations", Buhari said.
But he called for "the processes of investigation, prosecution and repatriation of Nigerian funds stolen by corrupt public officials and their accomplices" to be speeded up.
Switzerland in March said it would return about $380 million linked to Nigeria's former military ruler Sani Abacha that was placed in several overseas accounts controlled by his family.
Some $500 million in Swiss bank accounts had already been returned.
Abacha, in power from 1993 until his death in 1998, is suspected of having siphoned off $2.2 billion from Nigeria's central bank in what the United States has called "brazen acts of kleptocracy".
AFP
Video - Nigeria soldiers training in slippers
Some soldiers in the Nigerian army say they're being trained to fight in their slippers, and are not being given the proper equipment to combat Boko Haram.Army commanders are denying money meant for food, accommodation, training and equipment has been stolen by some officers.
Suspected Boko Haram financier arrested
Nigerian troops have arrested a suspected financier of the extremist sect, Boko Haram, the army said Tuesday.
Mohammed Maina, who sells and supplies stimulants used by the insurgents, was arrested in Bama, Bama Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno State, the army said.
“The suspect a native of Ngurosoye came from Shuari village in Bama LGA, he was arrested with the sum of One Million Naira cash and some items,” the army said in a statement by its spokesperson, Sani Usman, a colonel.
“Investigation revealed that Mohammed supplies them Kolanuts and other items especially stimulants. He further revealed that kolanuts is in high demand among the terrorists as it keeps them active at night.
“It is apparent also that he plies Maiduguri-Dikwa-Kulli axis where he gathers monetary and other materials contributions from Boko Haram sympathizers along that axis and send same to the terrorists camps,” the statement said.
Separately, the army said troops of 112 Battalion and Special Forces in Mafa and Dikwa raided a Boko Haram camp at Bulungwa Naibe in Dikwa Local Government Area of Borno State on Monday.
“During the operation, quite a number of the Boko Haram terrorists were killed and the following items were recovered; 1 Buffalo vehicle mounted with an Anti-Aircraft Gun, a Rocket Propelled Grenade, 2 Machine Guns and 1 Sub-machine Gun. Others include 5 AK-47 rifles, 1 Fabrique Nationale rifle and 2 Sewing Machines used for sewing uniforms by the terrorists,” the statement said.
Premium Times
Mohammed Maina, who sells and supplies stimulants used by the insurgents, was arrested in Bama, Bama Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno State, the army said.
“The suspect a native of Ngurosoye came from Shuari village in Bama LGA, he was arrested with the sum of One Million Naira cash and some items,” the army said in a statement by its spokesperson, Sani Usman, a colonel.
“Investigation revealed that Mohammed supplies them Kolanuts and other items especially stimulants. He further revealed that kolanuts is in high demand among the terrorists as it keeps them active at night.
“It is apparent also that he plies Maiduguri-Dikwa-Kulli axis where he gathers monetary and other materials contributions from Boko Haram sympathizers along that axis and send same to the terrorists camps,” the statement said.
Separately, the army said troops of 112 Battalion and Special Forces in Mafa and Dikwa raided a Boko Haram camp at Bulungwa Naibe in Dikwa Local Government Area of Borno State on Monday.
“During the operation, quite a number of the Boko Haram terrorists were killed and the following items were recovered; 1 Buffalo vehicle mounted with an Anti-Aircraft Gun, a Rocket Propelled Grenade, 2 Machine Guns and 1 Sub-machine Gun. Others include 5 AK-47 rifles, 1 Fabrique Nationale rifle and 2 Sewing Machines used for sewing uniforms by the terrorists,” the statement said.
Premium Times
President Muhammadu Buhari releases 21 ministerial nominees
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari nominated four former state governors and the current head of the national oil company as ministers in his administration, according to a list presented to lawmakers in the capital, Abuja.
Senate President Bukola Saraki read aloud the 21 names who make up the first group of ministerial nominees proposed by Buhari, though the list, given to Saraki by the presidency last week, didn’t say which ministries the nominees are intended to head.
Among those nominated were Rotimi Amaechi, 50, who governed oil-producing Rivers state from 2007 until 2015 when his second term expired. A one-time ally of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Amaechi left the then-ruling People’s Democratic Party in 2013 to join the All Progressive Congress, which was in opposition at the time. He was a key member of Buhari’s campaign team, and last month traveled with the president to the United Nations General Assembly.
“The APC has always been a coalition of loose interests, and now he is in power Buhari clearly recognizes that the stability of his government is contingent on satisfying those interest groups,” said Manji Cheto, vice-president at consultancy Teneo Intelligence, speaking by phone from London. “Investors will by and large hold back on judgment given that some of the names are not well known. It isn’t a complete list, there will be a second round.”
Senate Screening
Buhari, 72, has drawn criticism from opposition figures and some analysts for moving slowly to name his cabinet following his victory over Jonathan in a March election that ushered in the first democratic handover of power in Africa’s biggest oil producer. The Senate, which must approve the nominees, will begin its screening process on Oct. 13, Saraki said.
Babatunde Fashola, 52, one of the few nominees who are household names in Nigeria, was governor of Lagos state, home to the country’s commercial capital, between 2007 and 2015. A lawyer by training, he is seen as a technocratic politician credited with reducing crime, improving infrastructure and implementing improvements in tax collection that reduced Lagos’ dependence on federally allocated oil revenue.
Of the other two ex-governors, Chris Ngige of southern state Anambra, also defected from the PDP, and Kayode Fayemi, 50, was governor of Ekiti State in western Nigeria from 2010 until 2014, when he was unseated by the PDP candidate. A former director of Abuja-based political think-tank the Centre for Democracy and Development, Fayemi was a member of Buhari’s transitional committee set up between the presidential election and inauguration.
With government finances challenged by the halving of oil prices in the past year, Buhari hasn’t laid out his plan to revive Nigeria’s economy or appointed a finance minister. In his Independence Day address on Oct. 1, he called for patience and said he will do more to cut waste and fight corruption.
Central Control
Another nominee, Emmanuel Kachikwu, was in August appointed group managing director of state oil company, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. A former executive vice-chairman of ExxonMobil Africa, he was put in place by Buhari to eliminate corruption at the NNPC. In September, he said Nigeria would review some contracts with oil companies for deep offshore oil production to seek more favorable terms.
“One of the biggest complaints people have had about how the NNPC is run is that it’s both operator and regulator, and if Kachikwu is given a role at the oil ministry, it will entrench that structure and go even further toward centralizing control of the oil industry,” Teneo’s Cheto said.
Diezani Alison-Madueke, who was oil minister under Jonathan, was arrested in the U.K. on suspicion of bribery and money laundering offenses, an official in the Nigerian presidency said on Oct. 5.
Also on Buhari’s list of nominees were Lai Mohammed, a spokesman for the APC, and Kemi Adeosun, who has worked as finance commissioner for southwestern state Ogun.
Bloomberg
Senate President Bukola Saraki read aloud the 21 names who make up the first group of ministerial nominees proposed by Buhari, though the list, given to Saraki by the presidency last week, didn’t say which ministries the nominees are intended to head.
Among those nominated were Rotimi Amaechi, 50, who governed oil-producing Rivers state from 2007 until 2015 when his second term expired. A one-time ally of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Amaechi left the then-ruling People’s Democratic Party in 2013 to join the All Progressive Congress, which was in opposition at the time. He was a key member of Buhari’s campaign team, and last month traveled with the president to the United Nations General Assembly.
“The APC has always been a coalition of loose interests, and now he is in power Buhari clearly recognizes that the stability of his government is contingent on satisfying those interest groups,” said Manji Cheto, vice-president at consultancy Teneo Intelligence, speaking by phone from London. “Investors will by and large hold back on judgment given that some of the names are not well known. It isn’t a complete list, there will be a second round.”
Senate Screening
Buhari, 72, has drawn criticism from opposition figures and some analysts for moving slowly to name his cabinet following his victory over Jonathan in a March election that ushered in the first democratic handover of power in Africa’s biggest oil producer. The Senate, which must approve the nominees, will begin its screening process on Oct. 13, Saraki said.
Babatunde Fashola, 52, one of the few nominees who are household names in Nigeria, was governor of Lagos state, home to the country’s commercial capital, between 2007 and 2015. A lawyer by training, he is seen as a technocratic politician credited with reducing crime, improving infrastructure and implementing improvements in tax collection that reduced Lagos’ dependence on federally allocated oil revenue.
Of the other two ex-governors, Chris Ngige of southern state Anambra, also defected from the PDP, and Kayode Fayemi, 50, was governor of Ekiti State in western Nigeria from 2010 until 2014, when he was unseated by the PDP candidate. A former director of Abuja-based political think-tank the Centre for Democracy and Development, Fayemi was a member of Buhari’s transitional committee set up between the presidential election and inauguration.
With government finances challenged by the halving of oil prices in the past year, Buhari hasn’t laid out his plan to revive Nigeria’s economy or appointed a finance minister. In his Independence Day address on Oct. 1, he called for patience and said he will do more to cut waste and fight corruption.
Central Control
Another nominee, Emmanuel Kachikwu, was in August appointed group managing director of state oil company, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. A former executive vice-chairman of ExxonMobil Africa, he was put in place by Buhari to eliminate corruption at the NNPC. In September, he said Nigeria would review some contracts with oil companies for deep offshore oil production to seek more favorable terms.
“One of the biggest complaints people have had about how the NNPC is run is that it’s both operator and regulator, and if Kachikwu is given a role at the oil ministry, it will entrench that structure and go even further toward centralizing control of the oil industry,” Teneo’s Cheto said.
Diezani Alison-Madueke, who was oil minister under Jonathan, was arrested in the U.K. on suspicion of bribery and money laundering offenses, an official in the Nigerian presidency said on Oct. 5.
Also on Buhari’s list of nominees were Lai Mohammed, a spokesman for the APC, and Kemi Adeosun, who has worked as finance commissioner for southwestern state Ogun.
Bloomberg
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