Former president of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA and a governorship aspirant under the platform of All Progressives Congress, APC in Ondo State, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) has hailed President Muhammadu Buhari over the recovery of looted
Akeredolu, who expressed shock over the amount of money and property seized from the looters, described such display of greed by public office holders and politicians as a betrayal of their contract with the people.
The Federal Government, on Saturday, declared the much-anticipated list of recovered loot. The government revealed the recoveries were made between May 29, 2015 and May 25, 2016.
It gave the breakdown of the loot as N78, 325,354,631.82; $185,119,584.61; £3,508,355.46 and €11, 250. The assets and cash seized under interim forfeiture totaled: $9bn, N126bn, £2.4m and €303,399.
In a press statement issued by Aketi Media Group, the publicity unit Akeredolu campaign platform, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria urged Nigerians to continue to support President Buhari’s efforts to recover stolen funds from politicians, saying the president can be trusted to utilise the recovered loot for the benefit of all Nigerians.
“I am shocked at the amount of money public office holders and politicians have stolen from the country. It is pathetic and shameful that at a time when the generality of the people are suffering from poor infrastructure all over the country, some people could steal so much money, which ordinarily could have been used to improve these infrastructures.
“However, I want to urge Nigerians not to despair. Rather, we should continue to support the president in this difficult task until we rid our nation of corrupt and self-serving people.
“We should continue to trust in the ability and integrity of President Muhammadu Buhari to develop Nigeria and lead us out of the economic dungeon which the PDP government put the country.”
The foremost lawyer, who remains of the few lawyers in the country who have refused to defend any PDP candidate in court since the inception of the fourth republic, lamented the parlous state of the economy in the country.
According to him, the recovery of such huge amount of money from looters is a clear indication that governments at all levels in the country have no reason being unable to pay salaries if government jobs have been done transparently.
“I have always said that a government has no excuse for not being able to pay its workers. Now, the recovered loot is a confirmation of that belief. It means that if things have been done in transparent manners, government has no reason being unable to pay salaries.
“It is the same in our own dear Ondo State, if government activities have been done transparently, we have no business owing our workers and putting hard working civil servants into a life of penury, the governorship hopeful said.
