The
Federal Government has explained why it won’t disclose the amount of
looted funds it recovered from corrupt public officials.
It said the amount won’t be made public yet because it will be used as evidence against them in court.
Presidential
spokesman Mallam Garba Shehu said much as President Muhammadu Buhari
would have liked to let Nigerians know how much had been recovered, it
will be impossible for now.
He said
the money recovered was in the vaults of the Central Bank of Nigeria
(CBN), adding that “the issue of how much has been returned has been
there. The money retrieved has to be used as evidence in court. The
President said two things; we will recover and we will prosecute. So, as
it is now, you don’t go and bring all these billions returned out.
“I am
aware that there is an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)
where some of these funds are being kept and are evidence for a judge to
see. It is not for public display. I think that is the challenge we
have at the moment.”
According
to him, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will soon hit the road travelling
around the country to address town hall meetings, explaining government
policies and actions.
The town hall meetings, he said, will hold in the first instance at zonal levels before going down to state capitals.
Shehu
said: “Government realises that there is a need to take information to
the people and there are steps that are being taken in order to ensure
that this is done.
“If he
wanted to fire people on assumption of office, he would have done it and
would not have violated any rule. But he decided to give everyone a
chance to see whether they would imbibe the change mantra, and be
prepared to come along.”
He said
with offices in the 774 local governments and state offices, the
National Orientation Agency (NOA) needed to do more to enlighten
Nigerians on the government’s policies.
He
said, “I will say with all sincerity that I know that the NOA has
worried us in government. The people and the leadership never believed
in what we are doing; they never believed in change and so, they just
folded their arms and watched us in the last eight to nine months. When
they are there, I believe the new leadership will begin to formulate
things for agencies like that.”
He
addmitted that the government needed to do more in public enlightenment,
stressing that “to be fair to Minister of Information Lai Mohammed, I
have never seen somebody as hardworking as that gentleman, even as
minister. You find out that he doesn’t miss the talk shows on radio,
from one radio station to another and then he will move to a television
station, to a newspaper and all of that.
“I
believe that more needs to be done. I agree with you. We have an agency
like NOA with 774 offices nationwide; each has not less than five to
seven officials and well-equipped. But you know also, sometimes
democracy has its own dark side.”
On the
fight against insurgency, Shehu congratulated Nigerians on the
achievements so far recorded by the Buhari administration, adding that
at the moment, no city in the country is under curfew, while military
road blocks have been dismantled.
Speaking
on alleged secret recruitment by some government agencies, Shehu said:
“I would stay out of this because I know that the parliament is
investigating this and I believe we should wait for the outcome of the
investigation by the House of Representatives.
“I have
been approached by a number of people who say ‘can you give me a note
to so or so agency?’ A lot is happening in this country and I keep
saying that Buhari’s government is not a government of notes. I guess
that whoever is found doing that would get himself in trouble. He is not
a nepotist and I think you know
that.
“So, I
think that the parliament should be allowed to look into it. I have
personally called one of these agencies mentioned to ask whether it is
true that they are recruiting and he said no, but the parliament can
call for any documents and testimonies from anybody and they can
determine whether it is true,” he added.
