Our anti-corruption fight yielded over N113bn in 2019/2020 – Lai

EFCC, ICPC recover over N113.29bn in 2019/2020

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Commission (ICPC), and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) recovered over N113.29 billion, including foreign currencies in the last one year.

Similarly, the ICPC secured 25 convictions while the EFCC also secured the conviction of 1,270 persons involved in financial crimes within the period under review.

Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed announced this Friday at a media parley on the activities of President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration in Abuja.

Giving the breakdown of N81.23 billion worth of assets recovered by the ICPC, the minister said N41.98billion came from money restrained on review of MDAs.

On personnel cost expenditure and capital development fund, Mohammed said lands, buildings and vehicles worth N35.011billion, N1.167billion as cash in Treasury Single Account (TSA);  N0.77billion, being recoveries from tracked constituency projects; N1.097billion (completed constituency projects on return of contractors to site); N0.865billion in cash (other accounts) and $1.113million in cash(other domiciliary A/C) converted @ N305/ $, were all recovered by the ICPC.

On the EFCC, the minister said the anti-graft body “secured 1,270 convictions and recovered huge amounts of money within the period under review.

“The recoveries include N32.6 billion Naira; $10,348; 758,155 Pounds Sterling; 183,475 Euros; 294,950 Saudi Riyal; 2,800 Chinese Yuan; 300 Canadian Dollars and 500 CFA.

“The 1,270 convictions include high profile ones, such as the liquidation and forfeiture of the P&ID Nigeria Limited to the Federal Government, after the conviction of the company for fraud and tax evasion.” 

 “The ICPC has also established a Constituency Project Tracking Group, now named Constituency and Executive Projects Tracking Group, to track performance of publicly-funded projects, especially projects with immediate impact on the livelihood of ordinary Nigerians. 424 of such projects were tracked within the period under review, which led to the completion of several abandoned projects and recovery of billions of Naira on some of the projects.

“Number of completed constituency projects in education, health, water resources, agriculture and other sectors increased to over 400 nationwide, from those that were specifically monitored. Furthermore, over 300 contractors who had abandoned projects returned to site in various parts of the country,” the minister further stated.

Mohammed who scored the administration high in the fight against insurgency and other related challenges, said border drilling greatly reduced the rate of killings in the last one year.

He said: “The drill has made it more difficult for terrorists and other criminals to procure arms and ammunition while criminal elements no longer make their way into the country through the land borders. The implication is that we have witnessed a reduction in cases of insecurity – kidnapping, banditry, armed robbery or other violent crimes. The border closure has drastically reduced availability of hard drugs on the streets, as well as curbed activities of armed smugglers.

“Talking about security, you are all aware of the unprecedented successes being recorded every day by our gallant troops against the insurgents in the North-east. We must continue to support our troops as they clear the remnants of the insurgents.”

On the COVID-19 fight, the minister said:  “It is important to note that, but for the right reaction by the Administration, the situation as it is today could have been worse. Just look around Africa to see what we are saying. Countries with a quarter of Nigeria’s population and supposedly better healthcare systems have considerably higher number of cases and deaths. The Administration is not happy that Nigeria has even recorded a single case of Covid-19 or a single death, but the figures we have today could have been much worse, but for a series of proactive actions and the right leadership by Mr. President.

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