Those who looted Nigeria in media war with anti-corruption agencies –Osinbajo

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Monday said that the way and manner corruption is now fighting back in Nigeria is so eloquent that it’s possible of overwhelm the government if care is not taken .

He said that already there is a media war between anti-corruption agencies and those who looted the country’s fund.>

According to Osinbajo, the same set of people that looted the country dry are the ones who are now branding anti-corruption agencies of engaging in media trial.

He stated this when he spoke as the special guest of honour during the opening session of the conference on Promoting International Co-operation in Combating Illicit Financial Flows and Enhancing Asset

Recovery to Foster Sustainable Development.

Osinbajo said , “If you look at the anti-corruption fight in Nigeria, there is a major fight back in the media .

“There is a media war, between people fighting corruption and those behind the stolen funds. It is called media trial, I don ’t know what that means.

“If you discover for instance large sums of money in an air condition room there is nowhere it will not make news anywhere in the world.

“So this whole idea of trying to legitimise corruption is definitely being fuelled and sponsored by those who have these resources, who have stolen funds .

“Unless we see it as a problem that can bring down our system then we will never be able to fight. I hope we will be able to advance this with other African countries .

“Like President Buhari has said repeatedly that if we don’ t kill corruption, corruption will kill it. When corrupt monies find safe
havens it will begin to fight back and if government is not careful it can fight back .>

“In Nigeria for instance where corruption fights back so eloquently that government itself if not careful can be overwhelmed.”

The acting president further called for the prosecution of international banking institutions who aid transfer of illicit funds abroad.

Read also: Falana challenges Osinbajo to prove era of impunity over, wants release of Zakzaky, Dasuki

“There is no way the transfer of these assets can happen without a handshake between the countries that they are transferred and the international banking institutions in the countries in which they are transferred, there is no way it will happen without some form of connivance.

Also speaking at the event, the chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof Itse Sagay, disclosed the massive looting of public funds during the administrations of former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan was so massive to a level that top government officials and businessmen illicitly enriched themselves with public funds amounting to over N1.35 trillion.

Sagay who cited a study, said that the corruption captured in the study related to only six years (2006- 2013) and explained that the figure of looted funds in the period under review was much higher when fuel subsidy scam, billion arms purchase scam, hundreds of millions of dollars taken from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation by a former minister to bribe election officials in 2015, were taken into consideration.

 

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