The former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s visit to Aso Villa recently where he held a closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari may not be unconnected with issues concerning the looted funds and how to go about them particularly the already recovered ones, National Weekender scooped reliably
Obasanjo was in the presidency to suggest to Buhari on how to go about the recovered loots of top government functionaries of the immediate past administration and of course that of Late Gen. Sani Abacha’s which the former’s administration rigorously tried to recover between 1999 and 2007 when it left office.
Recall that President Buhari in his last visit to the Untied States of America pleaded with the Secretary of State John Kerry to help Nigeria in recovering the looted funds especially from the officials of the immediate past administration since most of the looted funds have links with the US government. Kerry in his response pledged to do something and revealed that over $600b of the looted funds is in America.
National Weekender learnt that the United States has given Buhari a green light on the recovery plans following Buhari’s plea during his last visit where he told American government that the loots if recovered will go a long way in helping his administration to revive the dwindling economy which is almost grounded by the present fuel scarcity.
“There is a green light from America that the looted funds may soon be on its way back to Nigeria and that appears to be the major reason why Baba had to visit His Excellency to suggest how to go about the process of getting the funds,” stated our impeccable Aso Villa source.
Recall that Obasanjo has had war of words with former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala over the actual amount the Obasanjo administration recovered before leaving office. The former President told the media that his administration recovered a whopping $500m but Okonjo-Iweala in the wake of the corruption allegation against the administration of Goodluck Jonathan which she served in denied the claim saying that it was $200m that was recovered from the Abacha loot which the Swiss government helped to facilitate and forward to Nigeria.
Our source added that, “there are a lot of issues tied around the looted funds. That of Late former Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha has not been totally recovered despite the commitment by Obasanjo’s administration. It is imperative that Nigerians know how much was recovered so far and what is coming in at the moment. The total figure must be made public by this administration and to say that Obasanjo is important in the whole exercise to an understatement. There is also the loots of some greedy officials of the immediate past administration who through their nefarious acts almost crippled the nation’s economy.
“With the assistance of the American government we will get to the point whereby Nigerians will know the bad eggs who wanted to destroy our country by their uncontrollable love for public money. This administration is bent on doing the right thing and it does not matter how tough the battle is we will get things fixed. As soon as the looted funds starts coming in following the signal from the United States, things will take new dimensions and Nigerians will feel the impact.”
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