Nduese Essien
President Muhammadu Buhari has been asked to make public the list of former political office holders who returned stolen funds back to the Nigerian government.
This statement was made by Nigeria’s former mister of lands, housing and urban development, Nduese Essien, today, September 8, at Eket, Akwa Ibom state, while speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria.
Essien opined that publishing the names of the looters will make more impact in the fight against corruption.
He said:“President Muhammadu Buhari should publish those names that have willingly returned stolen wealth or those who have been forced to return stolen wealth.
”Let the public know how much has been returned, where it is paid into and its ultilisation. We don’t want a situation where money is returned and we don’t know where the money has gone to.”
He charged the Buhari administration to use the returned funds to develop the country, while lauding the government’s anti-corruption war, saying it had made public officials to sit up.
According to him: “People are now afraid of indulging in corrupt activities for fear of being investigated after leaving office.”
He also called on the president to beam his searchlight on the those working with him saying: “Anti-corruption crusade is not supposed to hinge entirely on the past; it should also prevent those who are working with the president presently from getting involved in corrupt activities.’’
He said:“If somebody is found to be spending more that he earns as his salary and allowances, such person should be called to question and explain where the extra income comes from.
“When I was the Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Committee in the House of Representative, we were trying to promulgate such law but unfortunately, we couldn’t pass it through the parliament. Some of our colleagues were afraid that if the bill was passed, it could be used to apprehend some of them.”
Meanwhile, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state has stated that the state was excluded from the bailout funds recently released to states by President Buhari.
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