A coalition of eighteen Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) has
applied to be monitors of the Federal Government’s spending of the
repatriated sum of $311 million recovered from embezzled public
funds by the late former military Head of State, General Sani
Abacha.
The monies were recently repatriated to the country from the
United States of America and the Bailiwick of Jersey.
Their applications for the monitoring activity were presented on
Thursday at a bidding process put in place by the Federal Ministry
of Justice in collaboration with the Bureau of Public Procurement
(BPP).
The groups that successfully entered their applications were
Triumph Oil & Gas Ltd, International Action Center, GPM Associates,
Phenai Consults Ltd/Africa In Foundation Infrastructure, CLEEN
Foundation, Olotu Lekan F. & Co, Anti-Corruption and Research-Based
Data Initiative, Public & Private Development Center, PPP Advisory
Consortium, Center For Social Justice.
The rest are Arewa Community and Social Development Network in
Nigeria, Quadrante, IBLF Global, Restitution Impact Limited, Urban
Projects Prospects Integrate Services Ltd, Foundation for
Public-Private Partnerships, and Global Society for
Anti-Corruption.
The Head of the BPE team, Nasir Bello, explained that groups
that pass through the technical bid review procedure would be
invited to participate in the financial bid phase.
He further disclosed that while 12 of the 17 listed groups
submitted hardcopy applications, five of them made their entry
through softcopy applications that were received via email.
Applications by 17 of the groups were accessed and accepted for
review by the committee, while one of the groups was however
disqualified in view of the fact that its application was received
around 12:30 pm, which was 30 minutes after the stipulated
submission period had elapsed.
Speaking earlier, the Head of Assets Recovery Unit of the
Ministry of Justice, Mrs Ladidi Mohammed, said the open bidding
process was part of conditions precedent put in place by the US
government and the Island of Jersey before the money was returned
to Nigeria.
She disclosed that the negotiation for the return of the looted
funds spanned over two years with a final agreement that CSOs would
be involved to monitor the implementation of projects the
repatriated fund will be used for, was reached.
Mrs Mohammed said: ‘The government wants the process to be as
transparent as nature can allow.
‘We believe that CSOs are part of the grassroots and can be able
to make an assessment of how the money was spent,’ she added.
She disclosed that following advertorials in the media, a total
of 18 groups entered their submissions both in hard-copy and
electronically through email.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice,
Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, had earlier indicated that the repatriated
fund will be channelled towards expediting the construction of
three major infrastructure projects across Nigeria, namely: The
Lagos – Ibadan Expressway, Abuja – Kano Road, and The Second Niger
Bridge.
He said FG was in the process of establishing a Project
Monitoring Team to oversee the implementation of the projects and
to regularly give progress reports to the public.
‘To ensure transparent management of the returned assets, the
Nigerian government will also engage a Civil Society Organisation,
who has combined expertise in substantial infrastructure projects,
civil engineering, anti-corruption compliance, anti-human
trafficking compliance, and procurement to provide additional
monitoring and oversight,’ Malami stated.
The AGF said the $311,797,866.11 “Abacha assets” repatriated
from the United States and the Bailiwick of Jersey, included
interest that accrued from February 3, 2020, to April 28, 2020,
when the fund was transferred to the Central Bank of Nigeria.
He noted that the litigation process for the return of “Abacha
III” commenced in 2014, while the diplomatic process that
culminated into the signing of the Asset Return Agreement on
February 3, 2020, by the Governments of Nigeria, USA and the
Bailiwick of Jersey, commenced in 2018.
The recovered funds were laundered through the US banking system
and hitherto held in bank accounts in the Bailiwick of Jersey.
However, in 2014, a U.S. Federal Court in Washington DC
forfeited the money as property involved in the illicit laundering
of the proceeds of corruption arising in Nigeria during the period
from 1993 to 1998 when General Abacha was Head of State.
In 2017, Nigeria filed a case in the Bailiwick of Jersey to
assert its authority as the owner of the funds and as the victim of
the action of the late Head of State, General Abacha.
A coalition of eighteen Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) has
applied to be monitors of the Federal Government’s spending of the
repatriated sum of $311 million recovered from embezzled public
funds by the late former military Head of State, General Sani
Abacha.
The monies were recently repatriated to the country from the
United States of America and the Bailiwick of Jersey.
Their applications for the monitoring activity were presented on
Thursday at a bidding process put in place by the Federal Ministry
of Justice in collaboration with the Bureau of Public Procurement
(BPP).
The groups that successfully entered their applications were
Triumph Oil & Gas Ltd, International Action Center, GPM Associates,
Phenai Consults Ltd/Africa In Foundation Infrastructure, CLEEN
Foundation, Olotu Lekan F. & Co, Anti-Corruption and Research-Based
Data Initiative, Public & Private Development Center, PPP Advisory
Consortium, Center For Social Justice.
The rest are Arewa Community and Social Development Network in
Nigeria, Quadrante, IBLF Global, Restitution Impact Limited, Urban
Projects Prospects Integrate Services Ltd, Foundation for
Public-Private Partnerships, and Global Society for
Anti-Corruption.
The Head of the BPE team, Nasir Bello, explained that groups
that pass through the technical bid review procedure would be
invited to participate in the financial bid phase.
He further disclosed that while 12 of the 17 listed groups
submitted hardcopy applications, five of them made their entry
through softcopy applications that were received via email.
Applications by 17 of the groups were accessed and accepted for
review by the committee, while one of the groups was however
disqualified in view of the fact that its application was received
around 12:30 pm, which was 30 minutes after the stipulated
submission period had elapsed.
Speaking earlier, the Head of Assets Recovery Unit of the
Ministry of Justice, Mrs Ladidi Mohammed, said the open bidding
process was part of conditions precedent put in place by the US
government and the Island of Jersey before the money was returned
to Nigeria.
She disclosed that the negotiation for the return of the looted
funds spanned over two years with a final agreement that CSOs would
be involved to monitor the implementation of projects the
repatriated fund will be used for, was reached.
Mrs Mohammed said: ‘The government wants the process to be as
transparent as nature can allow.
‘We believe that CSOs are part of the grassroots and can be able
to make an assessment of how the money was spent,’ she added.
She disclosed that following advertorials in the media, a total
of 18 groups entered their submissions both in hard-copy and
electronically through email.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice,
Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, had earlier indicated that the repatriated
fund will be channelled towards expediting the construction of
three major infrastructure projects across Nigeria, namely: The
Lagos – Ibadan Expressway, Abuja – Kano Road, and The Second Niger
Bridge.
He said FG was in the process of establishing a Project
Monitoring Team to oversee the implementation of the projects and
to regularly give progress reports to the public.
‘To ensure transparent management of the returned assets, the
Nigerian government will also engage a Civil Society Organisation,
who has combined expertise in substantial infrastructure projects,
civil engineering, anti-corruption compliance, anti-human
trafficking compliance, and procurement to provide additional
monitoring and oversight,’ Malami stated.
The AGF said the $311,797,866.11 “Abacha assets” repatriated
from the United States and the Bailiwick of Jersey, included
interest that accrued from February 3, 2020, to April 28, 2020,
when the fund was transferred to the Central Bank of Nigeria.
He noted that the litigation process for the return of “Abacha
III” commenced in 2014, while the diplomatic process that
culminated into the signing of the Asset Return Agreement on
February 3, 2020, by the Governments of Nigeria, USA and the
Bailiwick of Jersey, commenced in 2018.
The recovered funds were laundered through the US banking system
and hitherto held in bank accounts in the Bailiwick of Jersey.
However, in 2014, a U.S. Federal Court in Washington DC
forfeited the money as property involved in the illicit laundering
of the proceeds of corruption arising in Nigeria during the period
from 1993 to 1998 when General Abacha was Head of State.
In 2017, Nigeria filed a case in the Bailiwick of Jersey to
assert its authority as the owner of the funds and as the victim of
the action of the late Head of State, General Abacha.