PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has urged the World Bank
to help facilitate the speedy repatriation to Nigeria, stolen funds
still being held by Swiss authorities.
He said repatriation of additional $320 million in Switzerland, identified as illegally taken under the Abacha administration, would help ease the current economic hardship facing the country.
The president made the call when he met with the Managing Director of World Bank, Ms. Sri Mulyani Indrawati.
Buhari assured Indrawati that his administration was taking appropriate steps to ensure that public funds are no longer stolen or misappropriated by government officials.
“We need the support of the World Bank for the repatriation of the funds. We are as concerned as the World Bank about accountability.
“If such repatriated funds were misapplied in the past, I assure you that the same will not happen with us.
“Three hundred and twenty million dollars is a lot of money and we will not allow it to be misappropriated or diverted.”
The president told the World Bank’s boss that one of the conditions given by the Swiss authorities for the repatriation of funds was that it should be expended on implementation of social programmes for the benefit of Nigerian people in an efficient and accountable way, guaranteed by the monitoring of the World Bank.
He also assured that his administration would honour all agreements with the bank that would help to stimulate Nigeria’s economy and reduce the level of poverty in the country.
He said Nigeria would welcome greater international assistance for the rehabilitation of damaged homes, schools, health facilities and other infrastructure in the North Eastern states affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.
Earlier, Indrawati told Buhari that the World Bank was ready to use its knowledge, expertise and resources to help Nigeria achieve faster growth and development.
“We will strongly support you to create jobs and ensure prosperity in Nigeria,” she said, according to a statement by Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.
Culled from The Sun
He said repatriation of additional $320 million in Switzerland, identified as illegally taken under the Abacha administration, would help ease the current economic hardship facing the country.
The president made the call when he met with the Managing Director of World Bank, Ms. Sri Mulyani Indrawati.
Buhari assured Indrawati that his administration was taking appropriate steps to ensure that public funds are no longer stolen or misappropriated by government officials.
“We need the support of the World Bank for the repatriation of the funds. We are as concerned as the World Bank about accountability.
“If such repatriated funds were misapplied in the past, I assure you that the same will not happen with us.
“Three hundred and twenty million dollars is a lot of money and we will not allow it to be misappropriated or diverted.”
The president told the World Bank’s boss that one of the conditions given by the Swiss authorities for the repatriation of funds was that it should be expended on implementation of social programmes for the benefit of Nigerian people in an efficient and accountable way, guaranteed by the monitoring of the World Bank.
He also assured that his administration would honour all agreements with the bank that would help to stimulate Nigeria’s economy and reduce the level of poverty in the country.
He said Nigeria would welcome greater international assistance for the rehabilitation of damaged homes, schools, health facilities and other infrastructure in the North Eastern states affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.
Earlier, Indrawati told Buhari that the World Bank was ready to use its knowledge, expertise and resources to help Nigeria achieve faster growth and development.
“We will strongly support you to create jobs and ensure prosperity in Nigeria,” she said, according to a statement by Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.
Culled from The Sun
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