– Nuhu Ribadu applauds President Buhari for his will to fight corruption
– The former EFCC chairman spoke at a workshop organised in Abuja on corruption
– He advocated for transparency in the fight against corruption
Mallam Nuhu Ribadu has described President Muhammadu Buhari as having the political will to root out corruption from the Nigeria’s political system.
The pioneer chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) gave this assessment in a speech he delivered at a forum on anti-corruption war in Abuja on Wednesday, July 20.
Ribadu who was recently asked to return to the All Progressives Congress (APC) following his failed gubernatorial attempt on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party .
Nuhu Ribadu,
Ribadu urged Nigerians to rally behind Buhari and said his trademark has always been his intolerance for corruption.
The National Stakeholders Workshop on Recovery and Management of Recovered Assets was organised by the Presidential Advisory Committee on Corruption at Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja.
He said: “Asset forfeiture is an integral component of the anti-corruption work as it serves many purposes within the anticorruption framework,” Mr. Ribadu said. “First, it serves as restitution in the sense that what was ill gotten is returned to the right owner(s).”
Assets forfeiture functions as deterrence to others as those who illegally enrich themselves get stripped of that wealth overnight.
Similarly, through proceeds of final asset forfeiture, government can make extra money that can be channelled to projects that would enable growth and development of the state.”
He said the focus on anti-corruption was coming at a perfect that Buhari was in charge of affairs.
“I see in the present leadership, specifically the president, the will to allow the war to be fought without interference and the eagerness to support it in whatever way possible. These two points are important prerequisite in winning the anti-corruption war.”
“A specialised element of the anticorruption process, asset recovery requires professional and dedicated people comprising investigators, prosecutors and managers to handle it jointly for effectiveness and to drive the maximum benefits
“Whatever success that is made of forfeiture or recoveries depend on the thoroughness of investigation and diligence of prosecution and ability of investigators to trace whatever is traceable and recoverable. The success of asset forfeiture begins with the investigation.”
He however advised the government to be transparent in the handling of assets under forfeiture.
“It should also be made sure that the right of the individual to enjoy the ownership and use of his property is guaranteed. This calls for flexibility so as not to be harmful to the society in the process of restraining an asset by way of sending innocent workers away from work when businesses are forced to close.
“In doing all this, transparency and accountability are very key to whatever we do. To forestall any suspicion or false alarm we placed emphasis on transparent handling of recoveries through effective management which will safeguard the recovered assets from depreciation, movement or destruction, especially before final forfeiture.”
Mr. Ribadu said a major example was when he was chairman of the EFCC and that the “restraint we exercised in handling many cases including Globacom, Honda Place and The Sun newspapers.”
“We prioritised saving the businesses by considering the larger picture than just shutting down the premises.”
Meanwhile, there are reports that former vice president, Atiku Abubakar is unhappy with the return of Ribadu to APC as this may jeopardise his chances of emerging as president.
Atiku who has not hidden his dream of
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