• Meets American congressmen
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo disclosed, yesterday, how the Federal Government and the United States of America are working to repatriate stolen Nigerian funds.
Osinbajo also disclosed that the US has stepped up assistance in ensuring that corrupt officials do not get a safe haven for their loot in that country.
The vice president said the cooperation has already yielded positive results.
“We have worked quite closely with the US government on repatriation of funds; we have seen some results’’, and added that the federal government is hoping for more improvement in the process.
The vice president said this at a meeting with the US congressional delegation, led by Senator Christopher Coons, a Democrat from Delaware, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, yesterday.
He reiterated that both countries are working on prompt repatriation of the funds.
“We have reached out to the US government, with respect to helping with repatriation of proceeds of crime and proceeds of corruption,” adding that the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration regards corruption as “an existential threat that must be dealt with at its root. We have worked quite closely with the US government on repatriation of funds (and) we have seen some results.
“We think that this is very important because what tends to happen with corrupt public officials is that if they are able to find a safe haven for the proceeds of their criminality. Not only are they encouraged, as individuals, but, there is the general feeling that if I am able to get the proceeds out of the country, I might just get away with it,” said the vice president.
Osinbajo added that, “this is one of the reasons why we have taken several actions to ensure that we are able to deal with it because some of the major dislocations in the economy are on account of the problems we have seen with corruption.”
He said the present administration’s strategy is one of “the most effective ways of fighting corruption is ensuring that these proceeds are unsafe and for people to know that they would be found out and they would be punished for it and we would seize whatever profit they have gained.’’
On the return of the Chibok girls, the Vice President said, “it is a front burner issue for us all the time, there is no question of not continuing to negotiate and looking for the girls.’’
He expressed gratitude to God for the hope that the girls are still alive and would be released, noting that “negotiations were continuing and government would keep looking for the opportunity to bring them back.”
Oainabjo also thanked the US government for its recent decision to sell Super Tucano aircrafts to Nigeria to aid its fight against insurgency in the North-East.
Earlier Coons said the visit was to reaffirm the relationship between Nigeria and the United States, noting that the US has “an enduring enthusiasm and partnership with Nigeria.’’
He said they were in the country to learn more about the country’s challenges on security and health issues among others.
He later told State House Correspondents after the meeting, that they had “terrific meeting with the vice-president, members of the cabinet and senior advisers.”
Coons said the delegation was in Nigeria “both to offer our sustained bipartisan and commitment to the US-Nigerian relationship; to learn more about ongoing challenges in terms of security, and health and development.”
According to him, the delegation visited Nigeria “also to celebrate the opportunities, the entrepreneurship, the energy of many sectors in Nigeria from film-making to job creations to innovation itself.”
He said the delegation comprised Senators and Members of the House of Representatives and included Republicans and Democrats, representing “entire range of the American people.”
Senator Coons said they delegation had a wonderful meeting and expressed gratitude to Osinbajo for the chance to meet.
Other members of the Congressional delegation include, Sen. Gary Peters, Sen. Jeff Merkley, Sen. Michael Bennet, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, Rep. Terri Sewell, Rep. Charlie Dent, Rep. Barbara Lee and Rep. Frederica Wilson. They were accompanied by the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Symington.
Also in attendance were the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffery Onyeama, Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, the National Security Adviser, Maj. Gen. Babgana Monguno, and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.