ABUJA, JANUARY 24, 2017 – The Presidential Advisory Committe Against Corruption is to partner with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on the fight against corruption in the country.
The Executive Secretary of the Committe, professor Bolaji Owasanoye who disclosed this at the Inaugural meeting of the International Trade Unions Confederation (ITUC) Africa in collaboration with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Solidarity Centre, on the Campaign against illicit Financial Flows from Africa, in Abuja, said Government had done a lot to block all linkages in the country.
Prof. Bolaji further disclosed that while the present administration has made progress in blocking the likages, it is faced with challenges of repatriating stolen funds from outside the country.
According to him, the reason is that most developed countries enact legislation that make returning these funds difficult, rather they are brought back through aids and other development agendas.
“I am sure that you wonder sometimes how much these countries loved us to come and spend these much in our country. It is the money stolen that is finding its way back. All we need to do is to plug the loophole from our own end.”
According to him” When the recognise and put some measures to stop the bleeding, the next is to say let us have the resource returned, then you begin to have all manner of problem. That is why the issue of asset recovery has become an issue of global concern. Some countries are presently passing laws to make asset return almost impossible.
“There are countries that if your money get there, you cannot get it back by law. They will agree with you that it was stolen from your country, but you can’t get it back. That of course is legalising the recipient of stolen properly because in basic common law, both the thief and the receiver of the stolen goods are equally guilty”.
He urged for partnership with well meaning organisation of conscience like the labour movement to up their advocacy on the next task which is assets recovery.
“This is another level of advocacy that we all need to prepare to fight. You may be aware that Nigerian has been having trouble recovering assets that have been identified returned to us. All manner of obstacles have been out on the way if having these returned.
“In some situation, we know that money that are legally earned, but illegally transferred become illicit financial flow automatically because our laws are very clear on how to repatriate funds. Under the UN convention which many of us have signed onto, these money are returnable, but developed countries will begin to dance around it.”
According to him, “there a lot of consciousness is now being focused on an area that we have hitherto, out of ignorance ignored to our own detriment, he stressed that lots of initiatives are coming up that are focussing on illicit financial flow. But the starting point is public education because people don’t know what really is illicit financial flow.
“A lot of people focus on corruption and activities of politically exposed persons who occupy public offices. That is as bad, but even worse is the work of the private sector which many of us do not even understand because of the complexity of this sector”.
Speaking earlier, NLC president, Ayuba Wabba said the Congress will continue to partner with government on the fight against corruption which according to him was the reason behind under -development in Nigeria
He described as unacceptable the enormous resources Nigeria is bless with, a lot of its youths are out of school, with many others with without job and shelters.
“The challenges are enormous, despite the huge resources Africa has and despite the enormous potentials that it has, you will still see children are out of schools, no payment of salaries, no basic amenities and a host of other challenges.
“In most countries resources are taken out unaccounted including Nigeria where the crude oil that is taken out is not accounted for, so this become a very serious challenge. Also the Thabo Mbeki’s report on illicit financial flows out of Africa gave us a perspective on the enormousity of the challenges. So if you look at the challenges, is at the heart of our activity.
“In most countries the issue of development is taken to the background and worst hit are the working class, their families and pensioners and therefore it should be a priority. For us at the NLC we remain committed in partnering with government in trying to effectively wage a serious war against corruption, because we believe is a result of corruption that our critical infrastructure are not working despite enormous resources committed to fixing these infrastructure”.
LG Autonomy: Why We Are Embarking On Nationwide Protest – NULGE
I’m its quest to achieve autonomy for the Local Government Areas in the country, the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has said it is mobilising its members across the country to embark on a nationwide protest.
President, Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Comrade Ibrahim Khalee, said the protest becomes necessary to draw the attention of Nigerians to the injustices being melted out on the third tier of government by the state governors.
Khalee accused the governors of stangulating the Local Government for their selfish reasons.
He hinted that the union, with support from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has concluded plans for the nationwide protest; adding that the time is now ripe for Nigerians to do everything to support the National Assembly to grant autonomy to the Local Government Areas
The President of NULGE, who spoke on the outcome of the Union’s National Executive Council (NEC), meeting held in Abuja and NULGE visit to the National Assembly, said the protest would be used to sensitize the members of the state assemblies on the desirability of local government autonomy.
According to him, the protests is one of the advocacy activities mapped out to ensure that the local government areas are financially and administratively autonomous in line with the global standard practice.
The NULGE President said: “One of the demands at the United Nations meeting was that the LGAs across the world be made to be autonomous in line with the democratic principles.”
He said the members of the unions have sanctioned advocacy protests across the six geopolitical zones of the country at the designated centres.
Khaleel mentioned the centres to include Calabar, Cross River State in the South-South; Enugu, Enugu State in the South East; Oshogbo, Osun state in South West; Ilorin, Kwara State in North Central; Jalingo, Taraba State in North East and North West zone.
He said the union at the state and local government levels will also conduct similar protest; and he assured that the union will collaborate with the National Assembly to ensure that the LGAs autonomy becomes a reality.
