Ugolor: FG Must Divest EFCC, ICPC, Others of the Responsibility of Managing Recovered Assets
As the Global Forum on Asset Recovery holds in Washington DC, United States this week, the Executive Director of the African Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), Reverend David Ugolor spoke with Abimbola Akosile on Nigeria’s efforts to re
Can you please do a very brief recap of the development-related activities of ANEEJ in the past year? Thank you very much. We have had the Civil Society Advocacy to Support Anti-corruption in Nigeria (CASAN) project. We have also strengthened transparency and accountability of Niger Delta institutions on resource management and through promoting citizen engagement.
The goal of the project is to improve the transparency and accountability of targeted Niger Delta institutions through civic engagement and effective reporting of the agencies’ activities. These agencies are the Oil Commissions in Edo, Delta, Abia, Imo, Ondo, NDDC and MNDA.
There is also the Stop Dirty Fuel campaign. A research on dirty diesel was launched on September 15, 2016 in Nigeria, Ghana, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire and Switzerland. The goal of the campaign was to stop high level of sulphur in petroleum products. Commitments were made by governments to end the “African Quality” fuel.
ANEEJ also organised a Climate change seminar with Catholic youth and students. We also did a project on resource governance in the Niger Delta, This project is meant to reduce poverty and enhance access to justice in the Niger Delta region.
We also engaged in strategies of tackling corruption through property ownership. We undertook advocacy against Impunity in the oil subsidy in Nigeria/ Asset recovery - The project is to raise public awareness about general and specific cases of corruption and malpractice in the oil and gas sector and put pressure on government to do more and hold perpetrators and government to account.
The organisation is also canvassing for ending oil swap in Nigeria, and the project advocates for a reform in the oil and gas sector in particularly an end to oil swap contract. There were also the consultations ahead of the Global Forum on Asset Recovery (GFAR) taking place in Washington DC this week.
Among your focal areas is the environment.... what is your take on the issue of the clean-up of Ogoniland, which is yet to commence over a year after the federal government approved the process? We believe that the Federal government appeared to be sincere with the issues concerning the Ogoni clean up from the onset. Recent developments however indicate that there are issues bordering on the political will on the part of the Federal government to ensure that the cleanup begins at full throttle. Therefore to this extent, we urge the Federal government to do all it can to ensure that the process involves input from CSOs and relevant stakeholders.
Despite revelations in the Thabo Mbeki report on illicit flows which stated that Africa loses over $50 billion annually to illicit financial flows, the outflow has not reduced significantly..... to you, what can be done to remedy this alarming situation which is draining away Africa’s resources? First, the National Assembly must do all it can now to pass the Proceeds of Crime Bill currently being debated. This is because if that bill becomes law, it helps the fight against corruption and prevents politically-exposed persons from laundering money in tax havens.
Secondly, the Federal government must build the capacity of the judiciary, the media, civil society and anti-corruption agencies on asset recovery.
Further, the Nigerian government must institutionalise a framework for working with Nigerian Civil Society to ensure that there is effective implementation of the National Anticorruption Strategy and Mutual Legal negotiations on stolen assets and their management thereof when recovered. Many analysts believe Nigeria has signed on to too many Agreements, Conventions, Protocols and Resolutions, some of which are of no particular benefit to the country.... can you identify any of such agreements that should be exited or set aside for the nation’s good and positive development?
Nigeria has not really signed on to too many agreements in the real sense. The world is becoming a global village, and these signatures are the wires which connect us to the heartbeat of the world. Many of these conventions are useful, especially as most Nigeria is seeking the help of the rest of the world with the recovery, return and management of assets stolen and stashed abroad by corrupt Nigerians. Therefore many of these conventions are useful. Like the UNCAC is useful in the fight against corruption. What remains to be seen is if Nigeria can comply with some of the commitments made in the implementation of these treaties. There was a recent allegation from the National Assembly leadership that the huge funds recovered from corruption proceeds both locally and internationally are being diverted and stolen by the anti-corruption agencies.... what checks and balances can be put in place to avoid this potentially damaging situation? Like we have always maintained, an asset management body must be established to take care of recovered assets. Leaving these assets in the hands of the anti-corruption agencies is not professional and may be an incentive to the issues you have raised. Let recovered assets be put in the hands of seasoned experts who can turn the recovered assets into valueadded commodities. If properly managed, these recovered assets can yield trillions of naira that will help with financing critical areas of the Nigerian economy. It promotes transparency and accountability and truncates the culture of impunity.
The issue of mutual legal assistance between cooperating countries concerning recovery of stolen funds has been identified as a positive option for repatriation of loot from destination nation.....how can Nigeria take this further based on her bilateral agreements and some conventions she signed onto? The issues concerning mutual legal assistance with and between countries are a bit sensitive and some border on issues of patriotism. If one country already has begun investigations in a matter of asset recovery; that matter is usually seen to be under the laws of the country that is already investigating that matter. That is why it would be very important for Nigeria to activate the treaties we recently signed by working closely with states wherein we signed those commitments and treaties.
Recently, the Federal government partnered the Metropolitan Police in the UK in the case involving the former minister of petroleum resources. Such collaborations are usually profitable in the long run only if both countries exhibit great levels of honesty, sincerity of purpose and a determination to bring treasury looters to book.
Although the present administration is still embroiled in an ongoing war against official corruption and graft, there are several allegations that the same administration is shielding some top members from prosecution on alleged corruption charges....to you, is this administration still committed to transparency and accountability and its war against corruption? We believe so even though there are some grey areas which we believe the government should address.
The Buhari administration has consistently put forward a name of a public official which it believes has what it takes to fight corruption to a standstill. It has introduced a whistleblowers policy through which a lot of monies have been recovered.
There is already a National Anti-corruption strategy, and there is evidence that the government is interested in the quick passage of the Proceeds of Crime Bill into Law.