‘Don’t divert loot to fund projects outside Delta’

By Raymond Mordi, Deputy Political Editor

 

A non-governmental organisation, the Nigeria Voters Assembly has condemned the statement by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mallam Abubakar Malami that the 4.2 million pounds proceeds of crime recovered from former Delta State Governor James Ibori would be used to fund the construction of the second Niger Bridge, the Abuja-Kano expressway and the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

In a statement by its President, Comrade Mashood Erubami, the pro-democracy, human rights and anti-corruption group said the sum, which is being returned by the British Government, should be released to the Delta State Government and its people because “diverting the fund from Delta State to other regions will be an open conversion of what rightly and legally belong to Delta State.”

The statement added: “It is very wrong and unethical to use the returned fund from the United Kingdom (UK) Government for the construction of the second Niger Bridge, the Abuja-Kano expressway and the Lagos-Ibadan expressway under any guise; it will be an open robbery of Peter to Paul… It will be an injustice that must not be allowed to stay.

Read Also: Britain to return £4.2m Ibori loot to Nigeria

 

“Seeking the return of the money from the UK and distributing it to regions that were never victims of the stolen fund will be a demonstrated instance of perverting Justice; because Delta State was the victim of the corruption that diverted the money to the UK, it will be indefensible for the three regions mentioned by the Minister of Justice to become the beneficiaries.”

The organisation called on the Federal Government to put the money in a pool that will be set aside for the construction of roads, railways, housing estates and bridges for the people of Delta State, to be supervised by civil society groups from outside the state.

The statement by Comrade Erubami also commended the British Government for agreeing to return the money to Nigeria. This, it added, will convince Nigerians that the British Government is interested in discouraging the habit of siphoning public funds from Nigeria to their country.