We’ve reached out to US on stolen funds’ repatriation – Osinbajo

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has said the present administration
has reached out to the United States government to step up its
assistance in ensuring that corrupt officials do not have a safe
haven in the US for their loot.

According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on
Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, the Vice-President spoke
during a visit of a US Congressional Delegation to the Presidential
Villa, Abuja, on Monday.

“We have reached out to the US government with respect with
helping us with the repatriation of proceeds of crime and proceeds
of corruption,” he was quoted as saying.

Osinbajo reportedly told the delegation that the present
administration regarded corruption as an existential threat that
must be dealt with at its root.

Osinbajo added, “We have worked quite closely with the US
government on repatriation of funds, we have seen some results.

“We think that this is very important because what tends to
happen with corrupt public officials is that if they are able to
find a safe haven for the proceeds of their criminality, not only
are they encouraged as individuals but there is the general feeling
that ‘if I am able to get the proceeds out of the country, I might
just get away with it.’

“This is one of the reasons why we have taken several actions to
ensure that we are able to deal with it because some of the major
dislocations in the economy are on account of the problems that we
have seen with corruption.

“The Buhari presidency’s strategy which is one of the most
effective ways of fighting corruption is ensuring that these
proceeds are unsafe and for people to know that they would be found
out and they would be punished for it and we would seize whatever
profit they had make.’’

On the return of the Chibok girls, the Vice-President reportedly
said, “it is a issue on the front burner for us all the time. There
is no question of not continuing to negotiate and looking for the
girls.’’

He expressed gratitude to God for the hope that “the girls are
still alive and will be released,” noting that “negotiations are
continuing and government will keep looking for the opportunity to
bring them back.”

The Vice-President thanked the US government for its recent
decision to sell Super Tucano aircraft to Nigeria to aid its fight
against insurgency in the North-East.

Senator Christopher Coons, who led the delegation, said the
visit was to reaffirm the US relationship with Nigeria, noting that
the “US has an enduring enthusiasm and partnership with
Nigeria.’’

Coons, a Democrat from Delaware, told State House Correspondents
after the meeting, that they had “terrific meeting with the
Vice-President, members of the cabinet and senior advisers.”

He said the delegation was in Nigeria “both to offer our
sustained bipartisan and commitment to the US-Nigerian
relationship; to learn more about ongoing challenges in terms of
security, and health and development.”

According to him, the delegation visited Nigeria “also to
celebrate the opportunities, the entrepreneurship, the energy of
many sectors in Nigeria from film-making to job creations to
innovation itself.”

He said the delegation comprised senators and members of the
House of Representatives and included Republicans and Democrats,
representing “entire range of the American people.”

Other members of the Congressional delegation include, Senators
Gary Peters, Jeff Merkley, and Michael Bennet, Rep. Lisa Blunt
Rochester, Rep. Terri Sewell, Rep. Charlie Dent, Rep. Barbara Lee
and Rep. Frederica Wilson. They were accompanied by the US
Ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Symington.

Also in attendance were the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr.
Geoffery Onyeama, Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, the
National Security Adviser, Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd.), and
the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has said the present administration
has reached out to the United States government to step up its
assistance in ensuring that corrupt officials do not have a safe
haven in the US for their loot.

According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on
Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, the Vice-President spoke
during a visit of a US Congressional Delegation to the Presidential
Villa, Abuja, on Monday.

“We have reached out to the US government with respect with
helping us with the repatriation of proceeds of crime and proceeds
of corruption,” he was quoted as saying.

Osinbajo reportedly told the delegation that the present
administration regarded corruption as an existential threat that
must be dealt with at its root.

Osinbajo added, “We have worked quite closely with the US
government on repatriation of funds, we have seen some results.

“We think that this is very important because what tends to
happen with corrupt public officials is that if they are able to
find a safe haven for the proceeds of their criminality, not only
are they encouraged as individuals but there is the general feeling
that ‘if I am able to get the proceeds out of the country, I might
just get away with it.’

“This is one of the reasons why we have taken several actions to
ensure that we are able to deal with it because some of the major
dislocations in the economy are on account of the problems that we
have seen with corruption.

“The Buhari presidency’s strategy which is one of the most
effective ways of fighting corruption is ensuring that these
proceeds are unsafe and for people to know that they would be found
out and they would be punished for it and we would seize whatever
profit they had make.’’

On the return of the Chibok girls, the Vice-President reportedly
said, “it is a issue on the front burner for us all the time. There
is no question of not continuing to negotiate and looking for the
girls.’’

He expressed gratitude to God for the hope that “the girls are
still alive and will be released,” noting that “negotiations are
continuing and government will keep looking for the opportunity to
bring them back.”

The Vice-President thanked the US government for its recent
decision to sell Super Tucano aircraft to Nigeria to aid its fight
against insurgency in the North-East.

Senator Christopher Coons, who led the delegation, said the
visit was to reaffirm the US relationship with Nigeria, noting that
the “US has an enduring enthusiasm and partnership with
Nigeria.’’

Coons, a Democrat from Delaware, told State House Correspondents
after the meeting, that they had “terrific meeting with the
Vice-President, members of the cabinet and senior advisers.”

He said the delegation was in Nigeria “both to offer our
sustained bipartisan and commitment to the US-Nigerian
relationship; to learn more about ongoing challenges in terms of
security, and health and development.”

According to him, the delegation visited Nigeria “also to
celebrate the opportunities, the entrepreneurship, the energy of
many sectors in Nigeria from film-making to job creations to
innovation itself.”

He said the delegation comprised senators and members of the
House of Representatives and included Republicans and Democrats,
representing “entire range of the American people.”

Other members of the Congressional delegation include, Senators
Gary Peters, Jeff Merkley, and Michael Bennet, Rep. Lisa Blunt
Rochester, Rep. Terri Sewell, Rep. Charlie Dent, Rep. Barbara Lee
and Rep. Frederica Wilson. They were accompanied by the US
Ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Symington.

Also in attendance were the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr.
Geoffery Onyeama, Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, the
National Security Adviser, Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd.), and
the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.