The lawmaker blamed the lack of saving during the rainy period for the current economic recession
He lashed out at government officials who have been looting the country’s treasury
Senator Shehu Sani has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to look beyond the pursuit of only the loot stolen by the late General Sani Abacha.
The former head of state reportedly kept money in different countries especially Switzerland and while the country has returned some loots, there are still efforts to recover some more money.
President Buhari has written to the Swiss government calling for the expedition of Abacha’s loot but Vanguard reports that Senator Sani who is representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District advised the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to extend its tentacle to the Middle East and Far East where he alleged some corrupt Nigerians stashed their loots.
Sani said this on Wednesday, September 28 in Kano when he visited Alh Tanko Yakasai and Alh Yusuf Maitama Sule.
He said: “Hundreds of billions of tax payers’ money have been stolen over the years and we have a duty to recover them, but it is very evidently clear that the idea of looted funds and the recovery from outside Nigeria seems to be beginning and ending with Abacha as if it is only Abacha that stole money and he is the only person whose money should be returned back to Nigeria.”
“I believe that we should go beyond that and check on how our own money was filtered away and taken to countries of the Middle East and also the Far East.”
“It is disturbing that at this very critical moment of our country’s history, we have been faced with a series of economic challenges that clearly if not managed very well will lead us to self-destruction.”
“In the last four to five decades, we have been dependent on oil revenue and we have seen how over the years, the resources accrued from such revenue have not reflected or have not tallied with the level of social and economic development we have seen on the ground.”
“We have seen how a culture of waste and mismanagement over the years, how a culture of lack of saving has made it impossible for us to address some issues that are facing us as a country.
It is a fact that Nigerians are suffering and the country that was seen to be very promising in Africa in the past is now lacking the capacity to stir the ship of our state and to lead other African states.”
“It is disgraceful that our political ruling elite over the years have not been able to save for the rainy day.
It has reached a point today whereby states can no longer pay salaries; they go deeper and deeper into debt; and it also looks as if there is no clear plan on ground to exit ourselves from the problems we have found ourselves.”
Meanwhile, the US is set to repatriate over $550 million of stolen funds during the regime of Abacha after a case instigated by a Nigerian lawyer was dismissed.
Vanguard reports that a US-based Nigerian lawyer, Godson Nnaka, had requested for $320 million from the Abacha loot from Nigeria.
Justice John D. Bates of the U.S District Court had dismissed Nnaka’s claim and insisted that he was not a party to the forfeiture case filed by the US Department of Justice in conjunction with Nigeria.
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