Buhari's failure to name looters as case of another failed promise?

JOHN SILAS looks at the Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government’s failure to publish names of those behind recovered loots and asks if it is yet an­other failed promise by the All Progressive Congress, APC-led government.

Since the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress, APC-led Federal Govern­ment with Muhammadu Buhari in charge as President, on May 29, 2015, Nigerians ironically has continued to rue failed promises from a party they had hoped will lead them to the Promise Land.

Latest of the failed promises by the Buhari-led government is recent publishing of recovered assets without names of looters, even when President Buhari had boasted of publishing the names for all to see.

President Buhari had on May 13, in an interview he granted some journalists before he de­parted from London where he attended an Anti-Corruption Summit, organised by the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, promised to disclose to Nigerians the amount his government had so far recovered from those who looted the nation’s treasury and their names on May 29.

Buhari said: “So far, what has come out; what has been recov­ered in whatever currency from each ministry, department and individuals; I intend on the 29th to speak on these. This is because of all what Nigerians are getting from the mass media; because of the number of people arrested, either by the Economic and Fi­nancial Crimes Commission, EFCC, or Department of State Services, DSS. But we want to make a comprehensive report on the 29th.”

When asked whether he would also publish the names of the loot­ers, Buhari replied: “Yes, eventu­ally, it has to be done because we want to successfully prosecute them. But you know you cannot go to the courts unless you have documents for prosecution. Peo­ple signed for these monies into their personal accounts.”

But while Nigerians waited with great expectations to know those who looted the country dry, their hope yet again, on the D-Day, May 29, the promised date to name looters, was dashed, as the promised naming of loot­ers was postponed. The President failed to name looters, promising that the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, will do that in earnest.

While Nigerians waited in pa­tience, what they could only get was lists of looted assets that were recovered; they cannot tell if the recovered assets were looted by ghosts or humans, as names of those from whom the funds and assets were recovered were not mentioned.

But justifying the reason be­hind President failure to fulfill his promise to make the names of the looters public, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo explained that the Federal Government decided not to release the names of persons from whom the funds and assets were recovered, because doing so may jeopardize on-going investi­gations.

Osinbajo who made this dis­closure during a meeting at the Presidential Villa with a delega­tion of the European Union, EU, led by the EU Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Michel Arrion, said that government released a list of sums of monies and assets re­covered in the past one year, but left out the names of individu­als from whom recoveries were made.

Details of the recoveries, pub­lished by the Federal Ministry of Information, showed that the Nigerian government suc­cessfully retrieved total cash amount N78,325,354,631.82; $185,119,584.61; £3,508,355.46 and €11,250 between May 29, 2015 and May 25, this year.

Also released were recover­ies under interim forfeiture, which were a combination of cash and assets, during the same period: N126,563,481,095.43; $9,090,243,920.15; £2,484,447.55 and €303,399.17.

Anticipated repatriation from foreign countries totalled: $321,316,726.1; £6,900,000 and €11,826.11.

The Information Ministry also announced that 239 non-cash recoveries were made during the one-year period. The non-cash recoveries are: farmlands, plots of land, uncompleted buildings, completed buildings, vehicles and maritime vessels.

While some Nigerians may be applauding the government for efforts made so far in recovering stolen assets, numerous others are unhappy that government failed to make public the names of those involve in the ignomini­ous act.

For these Nigerians, half-truth remains no truth and so, the gov­ernment will only make a good impression by publishing the names of looters.

To this end, several groups and individuals across Nigeria have continued to call on President Buhari to fulfill his promise to name those who stole from the country’s treasury.

Some Nigerians who spoke to The AUTHORITY insisted that the names of those who returned their loots must be published to make the loot recovery process more transparent.

Among the groups who want the names of looters published is the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, whose president, Mr. Au­gustine Alegeh, SAN, said that the revelation is important for citizens to gain closure.

According to NBA president, “for us, it is always important that the promises our leaders make to the people are kept. I believe that if there is any legal impediment that prevents the President, who is a forthright person, from keep­ing a promise he has made to the Nigerian people, he should let Nigerians know.

“It is also important that we know the quantum of recover­ies made from various persons so that it will be something that is known to every Nigerian and there would be no challenge. How did you arrive at the figures that are out there if you don’t put not just names but reasons?

“Tomorrow, you could hear that all the amounts that Mr. ‘A’ or Mr. ‘B’ looted, nothing was done. You could also start to hear that the loot recovery was only targeted at those who weren’t supporting the President.”

Alegeh pointed out that the only instance where the Presi­dent could withhold the names was if there was a legal obstacle as certain transactions with con­fidentiality clauses, which make it impossible for government to release the names, saying that if government finds itself in such case, that it should say so clearly.

Also, the Ijaw National Con­gress, INC, recently said that the inability of Buhari to mention the names of the country’s treasury looters was an indication that the President had succumbed to pressure from the looters.

The spokesman for the INC, Mr. Victor Burubo, who de­scribed the development as an anti-climax, stated that it was not the first time the President would be doing so to Nigerians.

He said: “This is not the first time they are doing this to Ni­gerians. In the appointment of ministers, the President said he wanted to appoint spectacular people and this took him six months. But he ended up ap­pointing run-of-the-mill minis­ters.

“On the amount recovered as loot, many figures were men­tioned but we have virtually nothing. If the President prom­ised to name the looters and at the end, he could not do so, it means he has succumbed to the pressure from the looters.”

Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, dismissed the amount the government said it had recovered as far less than the true amount.

He said: “Let me tell you this: That list is not correct. I know that the EFCC has recovered about $3.1 billion. I think this is just the report from a depart­ment; it is not a comprehensive one.

“The figure announced has not taken cognizance of the totality of the fund that has been recov­ered by all the anti-graft agen­cies. From the information at my disposal, the figure announced by the Information Minister is a fraction of what the EFCC has recovered and deposited in the Central Bank of Nigeria.”

The Senior Advocate of Ni­geria noted that in order not to discourage more looters from re­turning stolen funds, the Federal Government might not want to name the looters yet.

Falana disclosed: “In fact, some of the looters who have stolen the bulk of the missing money, who are on the run, are being pursued in different jurisdictions in the world.”

National Publicity Secretary of pan-Yoruba socio-cultural or­ganisation, Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, in his reaction said that the amount released as re­covered loot was less than the total amount of figures bandied about by the Federal Govern­ment and its agencies since the anti-corruption campaign be­gan.

He said: “As far as we are con­cerned, there is nothing new on the list shown to Nigerians. Anybody can just put figures to­gether. Where are the particulars of the recovery? From who were they were recovered?

“In the last one year, differ­ent rumours have been flying about with regard to those who refunded billions of naira and dollars. The figure they have re­leased now is too opaque; it is not transparent and does not lend credence to their claims. Any­body can just write anything and throw it out.

“We need the particulars; from who were the monies recovered? If they don’t do that, then, they are just wasting our time; they are just making a mockery of the whole process. They talked about naming and shaming, let them release the names. As it is now, there is no revelation yet before Nigerians.”

Correspondingly, the Ohanaeze Youth Council, OYC, the youth wing of Igbo socio-cul­tural organisation, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, faulted the government’s failure to disclose the identity of those from whom the sums and assets were recovered.

The President of the OYC, Mr. Okechukwu Isiguzoro, demand­ed full disclosure of the names of looters saying that “Nigerians have been anticipating the re­lease of the looters’ names for a while now; it is disappointing that the government only came out with figures. Inasmuch as the people need to know the amount that was recovered, they should also know the identity of persons that stole the money.

“In fact, if the Federal Govern­ment is sincerely fighting cor­ruption, it should disclose the identity of those who stole and returned money. It appears that there is a deliberate attempt to shield looters and that is totally unacceptable. Nigerian youths are not impressed.”

Also, a member of the federal parliament in the Second Re­public and Convener of the Co­alition of Northern Politicians, Academics, Professionals and Businessmen, Dr. Junaid Mo­hammed, stated that he had a “conflicted attitude towards the recovered funds and assets.”

He said: “I don’t believe what is being said to have been re­covered was what was actually recovered. What was stolen was more than what was recovered. If the government is sincere about recovering the remaining mon­ey, it has to redouble its efforts in recovering, as much as possible, all that was stolen and return same to the national treasury.

“I am not a lawyer, so I wouldn’t want to venture into a legal opin­ion of the status of those who have stolen the money. But if the law makes it difficult to disclose the names of those who stole the money, their identities and their names will be endangering the case itself. But, please, let the names be disclosed.”