BUHARI IMPLORES INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO EXPEDITE RECOVERY OF LOOTED FUNDS

President Muhammadu Buhari has urged foreign countries and the United Nations to speed up the process of repatriating stolen money siphoned abroad.

Receiving the Executive Secretary of United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Yury Fedotov, President Buhari said the process of recovering the stolen assets had “become tedious’’ to the dismay of many Nigerians.

“We are looking for more cooperation from the EU, United States, other countries and international institutions to recover the nation’s stolen assets, particularly proceeds from the stolen crude oil.

“It is taking very long and Nigerians are becoming impatient.

“Our genuine efforts to deal with corruption and drugs have earned us international respect and this has encouraged us to do more.

“We know that by fighting the scourge of drugs and corruption and rebuilding trustworthiness, integrity, good business practices, and imposing discipline on youths to avoid drugs, we are not doing a favour to the international community, we are doing a favour to ourselves, ’’ the President said.

President Buhari also promised that his administration will work with the UN agency to rehabilitate young Nigerians who have been misled into consumption of illicit drugs and drug trafficking.

Fedotov told President Buhari that UNODC has chosen Nigeria as a pilot country for support and strategic cooperation in the fight against drugs and corruption.

Despite the oil wealth of the country, Nigeria is going through its worst economic crisis in decades and Buhari’s critics have said the focus on corruption has distracted his administration from dealing with the impact of low oil prices which have cut much needed revenues from crude sales.

Last week Buhari urged the World Bank to expedite the process of repatriating $320 million Abacha loot which is being held by authorities in Switzerland.

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