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Govt shares $322.5m Abacha loot to 1.9m Nigerians

Published

2 years ago

June 24, 2022

The Federal Government has disbursed the entire $322.5 million Abacha loot of 2017 to 1.9 million poor and vulnerable Nigerians.

Before making the disbursement, the money accrued an interest of $11 million where it was deposited.

Mr. David Ugolor, Executive Director of ANEEJ, an independent monitor providing independent report on the use of the funds, made this disclosure in Abuja yesterday.

Mr. Ugolor told reporters that “the Abacha loot is exhausted. An interest of $11 million was accrued in the money where it was saved and it was disbursed to around 1.9 million poor Nigerians”.

Ugolor added that “no politically motivated data was used in selecting the beneficiaries; the National Social Register was used to determine those who will benefit and the register is updated regularly to remove those who have died”.

According to the ANEEJ Executive Director, “the Abacha loot that was recovered have been exhausted, we have a responsibility to inform Nigerians and then to make sure to tell them what the money was used for”.

He noted that, “it is a very controversial issue that people sit down at home and begin to point fingers that Abacha’s money has been stolen. What we have done with this monitoring is very ground breaking”.

Ugolor said ANEEJ will publish by the end of next month, state by state data of how the money was disbursed.

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According to him, “four states have not been benefiting from the distribution of these N5,000, so we started an advocacy and the advocacy yielded the results and the government responded through the National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO) and we have since paid all these four states. The four states are Edo, Ondo, Kebi and Enugu.

In December 2017, Switzerland returned USD322.5 million of stolen funds (illicitly acquired by the late General Sani Abacha’s family) to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The Federal Ministry of Finance requested that the funds be used to finance the $500 million IDA-financed National Social Safety Net Program (NASSP) in the form of Conditional Cash Transfers to poor and vulnerable Nigerians, which is one of the poverty alleviation programmes under the National Social Investment Programme.

A Swiss court in March 2015 ordered that the funds be repatriated on the condition that the World Bank monitors their use. Consequently, a Memorandum of understanding was entered into between the Nigeria government, the Swiss government, and the World Bank, which also identified Network on Asset Recovery (NAR) made up of civil society organizations led by ANEEJ as an independent monitor for the purpose of providing an independent report on the use of the funds.

The Federal Ministry of Justice then developed and finalized terms of reference for civil society organizations monitoring the $322.5million recovered Abacha loot and recognized ANEEJ as one of the CSOs representing the NAR in interactions with the Federal Government of Nigeria. The task was to monitor and report on the use of the funds to targeted beneficiaries.

In 2018, ANEEJ commenced the monitoring exercise under the Monitoring of Recovered Assets in Nigeria through the Transparency and Accountability (MANTRA) project. Through the MANTRA project, ANEEJ worked with six regional partners, and engaged a total of 35 CSOs and over 500 monitors for the exercise in six geopolitical zones of the country.

The exercise produced the first disbursement report of the $322.5million covering the August/September 2018 payment round to beneficiaries in 19 States.

THE NATION

Related Topics:Abacha loot Featured govt Nigerians

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We didn’t arrest Hamdiyya Sidi for criticising Sokoto governor – Police

Published

23 mins ago

November 15, 2024

Trends Admin

Governor Ahmed Aliyu and Hamdiyya Sidi

We didn’t arrest Hamdiyya Sidi for criticising Sokoto governor – Police

The Sokoto Police Command has refuted claims circulated by an online platform alleging that Hamdiyya Sidi was arrested and detained for criticizing Governor Ahmed Aliyu.

Labeling the reports as baseless, police officials clarified that Sidi was detained following a complaint lodged against her for allegedly inciting public unrest.

In a statement issued by the Sokoto State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police Ahmed Rufai, the police detailed that Sidi allegedly admitted to inciting residents to violence during questioning.

According to the statement, Sidi allegedly presented herself as a humanitarian seeking to assist local residents with donations, but later used the platform to incite them, prompting law enforcement action.

The statement read: “The attention of the Nigeria Police Force, Sokoto Command, has been drawn to the ongoing falsehood and misinformation circulated by social media handles on the purported story that the Nigeria Police, Sokoto Command, secretly arrested and arraigned a woman who lamented on the recent rise in killings in Sokoto for embarrassing Governor Aliyu Ahmed Sokoto. This is false and misleading.”

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The statement continued to clarify the situation, explaining: “On the 3rd of November 2024 at 1700hrs, Marafa Yakubu, the village head of Sabon Birnin Daji village in Wurno Local Government Area, reported to the police that a woman, later identified as Hamdiyya Sidi from Munki village in the same local government, had visited the area, claiming to represent a charity aimed at assisting women and youth. She reportedly requested to address women in the community, intending to distribute aid to those in need.

“However, instead of distributing relief items as promised, she began encouraging the women to forcibly seize government properties in Wammako Local Government Area, claiming ownership rights over them.”

Yakubu observed the rising tension among community members and alerted local guards, who detained Sidi and subsequently handed her over to the police. “During interrogation, the suspect confessed to the offence and was charged to court within 24 hours for the offence of inciting disturbance,” the statement added.

The Sokoto Police emphasized, “One of our constitutional responsibilities is to investigate crimes, both minor and major, and the case of Hamdiyya is no exception.”

The Commissioner of Police advised residents to carefully consider the information they share publicly, warning against the spread of misinformation that could disrupt the state’s peace.

“Sokoto State Police Command remains committed to protecting fundamental human rights while carrying out its duties,” the statement concluded.

We didn’t arrest Hamdiyya Sidi for criticising Sokoto governor – Police

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Four varsity lecturers dismissed for sexual misconduct

Published

37 mins ago

November 15, 2024

Trends Admin

Four varsity lecturers dismissed for sexual misconduct

In a significant development, the Governing Council of Federal University Lokoja has approved the dismissal of four lecturers over allegations of examination malpractices and sexual misconduct.

According to reports, the decision was made during the council’s Second Meeting on Thursday, following a thorough investigation into the accusations that surfaced last year.

Led by Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, the council commended the university’s management for adhering to due process in investigating the claims of examination misconduct and sexual harassment against the lecturers involved.

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Ndoma-Egba stated, “The council will not tolerate any unethical conduct in the university” and called for prompt resolution of other pending misconduct cases, particularly one within the Faculty of Science that has gained media attention.

In a caution to staff and lecturers, the council emphasized its commitment to addressing any form of student molestation and urged students to report incidents of misconduct without fear.

Four varsity lecturers dismissed for sexual misconduct

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BREAKING: FEC proposes N47.9 trillion budget for 2025 fiscal year

Published

15 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Trends Admin

BREAKING: FEC proposes N47.9 trillion budget for 2025 fiscal year

The federal government has unveiled a proposed budget of N47.9 trillion for the 2025 fiscal year.

Atiku Bagudu, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, disclosed this to journalists on Thursday following the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu.

Bagudu revealed that the council had approved the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for 2025-2027.

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According to the minister, the government has pegged the crude oil benchmark at $75 per barrel, with an oil production target of 2.06 million barrels per day (bpd).

The budget also sets the exchange rate at N1,400 per dollar and aims for a gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 6.4%.