‘Why we can’t render account of looted funds now’ - FG

The Federal Government has said that as soon as the necessary reconciliation process and litigation in some of the cases are concluded, the full account of looted funds will be rendered.

Government also said the success of its whistle-blower policy has shown that Nigerians strongly support the anti-corruption crusade. Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who disclosed this yesterday, expressed appreciation to Nigerians for their commitment in helping the government to tackle corruption through the useful leads they have provided to appropriate government agencies.

Mohammed stated that the whistleblower policy has led to the recovery of looted funds in many currencies, describing it as an effective tool to fight corruption in the country.

The whistle blower policy has also drawn the support of retired military officer, Oscar Lam and Kolade Albert, a security consultant with Osberts Konsults.
Lam said: “To the best of my judgment, the policy is going on well and if the government can ensure its sustenance it would go a long way to reposition the country.”

For Albert, the whistle blower protection law should be strengthened to make it a national policy. Meanwhile, the Conference of Nigerian Political
Parties (CNPP) has condemned the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the way it handled the huge cash discovery in Lagos. The group urged the commission to unveil the true owner with a view to prosecuting the individual or group.

In a statement by its Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu at the weekend, CNPP warned that it would mobilise its members, well meaning Nigerians, and civil society groups to resist any cover up of the real owner of the stashed cash.

CNPP further argued: “If it was found that the money and the apartment truly belonged to the former governor of Rivers State and Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, the cash should be returned to the state’s treasury.”

Speaking in the same vein, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) called on President Muhammadu Buhari to clarify the secret surrounding the ownership of the Ikoyi loot.

Executive Director of SERAP, Mr. Adetokunbo Mumuni in a statement yesterday said that the president must put in place legal backing for his government’s whistleblowing policy at the National Assembly.

And as controversy over the ownership of $43million rages on, Governor Nyesom Wike, has urged Christians to intercede in prayers for the Federal Government to return the money to the state.

He made the entreaty during Easter Church Service at Saint Peter’s Anglican Church in Rumuepirikom, Port Harcourt metropolis yesterday.

( Guardian)