Senate President Seeks UN’s Help To Repatriate Looted Funds

Senate President, Ahmad Lawan has appealed for the support of the United Nations (UN) on the recovery of looted funds hidden abroad, back into the nation’s coffers.

Naija News learnt that Lawan’s appeal was contained in a statement by his special assistant, Press, Ezrel Tabiowo, following a courtesy visit by a delegation of the United Nations Country to his office at the National Assembly, Abuja.

Lawan also said that the fight against corruption in Nigeria continues to suffer setbacks as a result of the inability of the federal government to repatriate looted funds stashed away in foreign countries across the world.  He noted that such resources if at the disposal of the government, would go a long way towards addressing critical developmental and infrastructural deficits faced by the nation.

“But even when we identify embezzled funds, to get them back to Nigeria is a big deal. And in fact, we have been suffering from that for years. We have had few occasions when we received some repatriation, but the bulk is still out there,” he said.

He described Nigeria as a blessed and well-endowed country whose development depends on the judicious utilization of every penny it makes.

The Senate President said the paucity of funds has forced the Federal Government to resort to acquiring domestic and foreign loans to fund capital projects in the 2020 budget.