Calls for inter-agency collaboration

By Gabriel Ewepu – Abuja

The Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ, Thursday, clarified President Muhammadu Buhari’s media aide, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity,  Garba Shehu, on $311.7 million Abacha loot recently returned from America and Bailiwick of Jersey.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Executive Director, ANEEJ, Rev David Ugolor, while reacting to a statement allegedly credited to Shehu, with the subject, ‘Statement on The Return of Abacha Stolen Millions From the United States and Jersey’ released on May 4, 2020.

According to Ugolor, ANEEJ deemed it fit to further clarify the statement allegedly emanating from Shehu in the interest of the Nigerian public and future references, which he said the clarification became necessary because of a similar situation that played out between the National Assembly and the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development

READ ALSO: Abacha Loot: Presidency says without returned funds fight against COVID-19 would’ve been tougher

The minister was quoted as saying that the funds being disbursed for January -April under the Conditional Cash Transfer, CCT, programme was from the World Bank whereas the arrangement on the ground for the CCT is 80 per cent returned Abacha II Loot of $322.5 million and 20 per cent World Bank IDA funds.

He added that with the clarity Nigerians will appreciate the effort by the Buhari-led administration’s fight against corruption.

He said: “First, Garba Shehu, in the statement said part of the returned $311.7million Abacha III Loot will also be invested in the Mambilla Power Project which when completed will provide electricity for 3 million Nigerians. It is important to clarify that the agreement between the Nigerian, Jersey, and US governments did not capture this project.

“The agreement captured only three projects namely: The Lagos-Ibadan Express Road, the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Express Road, and the Second Niger Bridge. Also, Garba Shehu’s statement did not acknowledge the role of the Jersey Government who also signed the agreement for the return of the loot.

“Secondly, the returned Abacha II Loot from Switzerland is not $320million as contained in the statement but $322.5million which represents $321million of the loot and $1.5million interest that accrued before its return amounting to a total of $322.5million that was lodged in a dedicated account in the Central Bank of Nigeria.

“Thirdly, the returned $322.5million is  not being spent on School Feeding Programme as contained in the statement of Garba Shehu, rather it  is being spent on the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme, one of the four components of the Federal Government’s Social Investment Programme (SIP) in line with the agreement entered into between the Nigerian and Swiss Governments in the Memorandum of Understanding signed by both governments during the inaugural Global Forum on Asset Recovery, GFAR, in Washington DC  6-7 December 2017.”

However, the ANEEJ boss said there is a need to foster greater inter-agency collaboration to bring about consistency in data and information which goes out to members of the public and for future reference purposes.

He also advised that presidential aides should always compare notes with other government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, MDAs, working on the same issues to ensure consistency in all government public statements before they are released to the public.

“Government agencies must eschew differences and work collaboratively to address the development challenges facing the nation. We cannot work in silos and no government agency can do it alone.

READ ALSO:  How returned $311m Abacha loot ‘ll be spent — Presidency

“It is important to show results being achieved from the fight against corruption and this has to be done by all stakeholders collaboratively. Recovered assets are being channeled to address poverty and infrastructural development.  But our message must be coherent and devoid of ambiguity,” he said.

It will be recalled that the Benin City-based ANEEJ alongside its partners drawn from the six geo-political zones recently released a one-year field monitoring report of the returned $322.5 being used for the Conditional Cash Transfer programme.

ANEEJ has equally announced its readiness to independently monitor the returned $311.7 million Abacha III from the US and New Jersey earmarked for major infrastructural projects in line with the agreements of the trio.

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