ANEEJ to monitor disbursement of $322.5 million Abacha loot

Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) has announced that it would deploy over 500 personnel to monitor the disbursement of the $322.5 million recovered from the late General Sani Abacha by the Federal Government to the poorest of the poor in the country.

Speaking yesterday during a lecture/rally to commemorate the 2018 World Anti-Corruption Day themed ‘Corruption Must not Pay’ in Benin City, the executive director, David Ugolor, said that the action was part of the group’s commitment to the fight against corruption. Ugolor said that the decision was in line with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) the federal government of Nigeria signed with the Swiss government before the latter released the money.

He said that 500 field monitors, 11 supervisors and 22 deputies drawn from members of the Nigerian Network on Stolen Asset (NNSA) and other civil society organisations across the country were to fact-check the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) to the poorest of the poor in 11 states who are beneficiaries of government’s Social Investment Programme (SIP).

According to him, the monitors will be interfacing with about 300,000 beneficiaries of SIP in 16 states to ensure that the monthly N5,000 gets to them directly. Ugolor, who commended the government of Nigeria and Switzerland for ensuring that civil society groups were part of the negotiation for the release of the loot, assured that they would not betray the confidence reposed in them.

Lamenting the non-inclusion of Edo and other South South states, except Cross River, in the programme, he noted that the non-inclusion of the states was occasioned by the failure of the various states’ governments to sign into the Nigeria Social Register.He, however, appealed to the excluded states to sign into the initiative in order not to deprive their citizens.

The federal government of Nigeria had announced to Nigerians that the $322.5 million would be used to support the poorest of the poor through the CCT programme, which is also called Household Uplifting Programme (HUP).