Posted by From Omon-Julius Onabu in Benin-City on
A delegation from the Swiss governmment has arrived Nigeria in connection with the repatriation of funds allegedly stolen from Nigeria during the regime of late military head of state, General Sani Abacha, but which the government of Switzerland had promised to return.
A delegation from the Swiss governmment has arrived Nigeria in connection with the repatriation of funds allegedly stolen from Nigeria during the regime of late military head of state, General Sani Abacha, but which the government of Switzerland had promised to return.
THISDAY gathered that Swiss officials are in Nigeria to begin wide consultations with government and civil societies in the country involved in the repatriation of public funds towards a review of plans for the return of $500 million of the said loot.
It was gathered that team arrived the country yesterday, understandably on the invitation of the Nigerian government, but is expected to meet with presidency officials and the Ministry of Finance as well as the civil society, which might include leaders of the NGO coalition that has recently played a moderating role in the funds repatriation campaign in the country.
Speaking with THISDAY in an interview yesterday on the importance of the visit to Nigeria by the delegation, convener of the NGO Conference on stolen assets from Nigeria and President of African Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), Reverend David Ugolor, expressed delight at the visit and hoped that the visit would further strenghten the commitment of the Minister for Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to the administration's economic reforms.
"We welcome this visit at the beginning of 2005 and we must take the opportunity to commmend the Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Iweala, for her obvious consistency; especially her disclosing the monthly revenue allocation to states and local governments in the country.
We hope that the same transparency would be brought to bear on the issue of Abacha loot. "We must also remind the British Governmment of the dear wish of the people of Nigeria that Britain takes note of the example of Switzerland and follows suit."
A communique at the end of the "Conference on Stolen Assets from Nigeria", and convened by the ANEEJ President noted among other things that: "Participants noted that the stolen wealth stashed away abroad by both past and present Nigerian public officials had contributed greatly to the weak economy and low industrial capacity of our nation, leading to mass unemployment , retrenchment and abject poverty of the majority of the Nigerian.