Rawlings wants global action on Nigeria’s loot
• Urges West to return stolen funds
Ghana’s former President Jerry John Rawlings has canvassed a global campaign for the return of Nigeria’s stolen funds stashed away in developed countries.
According to him, the international community should spearhead the initiative in a manner similar to that for the release of the kidnapped Chibok girls.
Rawlings, who spoke to The Guardian in Ghana on the outcome of the recent high-level London Conference on Corruption, charged developed countries to pay more than lip-service to the return of the funds to Nigeria and some other countries.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has reiterated that those who looted the common treasury would not know peace unless they returned what they stole as the administration would continue to turn the heat on them.
Rawlings said: “The high-level London conference on corruption offers an opportunity not only for countries in Africa and the developing world to revise and enhance their strategies for combating corruption, but also for developed countries whose banks have served as a safe haven for stolen wealth from Africa and elsewhere to repatriate those funds.
“I also implore the international community to join the chorus for the return of the loot, especially to a country like Nigeria while she enjoys the leadership of a proven man of integrity.”
He took a swipe at the developed countries who organise anti-corruption workshops with no concrete action to address issues that concern them.“Let us stop this support and mere conference of words and follow up with serious deeds. The commitment to corruption should work both ways. Developed countries cannot continue to harbour illegally-acquired funds from Africa and expect the latter to successfully stem the source of corruption.
“If we could transmit the integrity from our culture and various languages into the Western language and behaviour we’ve adopted, we could end up restoring the needed level of integrity to create a more civilised behaviour. In other words, we will be restoring integrity and credibility back to the spoken word.”
“Let me speak about these characters corrupting us and sending our loot into their economies as part and parcel of their capitalist programme. When you begin to speak up, they get nervous. They resent and they don’t like nationalists, pan- Africanists. When the time comes, they would sacrifice you and keep your loot.
“Let’s put pressure on those African governments to bring those stolen monies out. Obama and his friends should give them sleepless nights just like the way we handled the Chibok girls’ issue. Let’s go beyond roundtable meetings. The Commonwealth should be made to serve a better purpose. This calls for a loud noise.
“From London to Switzerland, they are holding on to these stolen monies with impunity. More pressure is needed from all angles. Obama, the whole lot of them should pitch in and not do what they are doing in South America, in Brazil. Some of us can see through it.
“When they have leaders with socialist inclinations, they would want to rout them out of office the way it is happening over there. No, that is not good enough. We can see through it. It is a pity.”
Rawlings, who is regarded as an anti-corruption crusader, also reviewed the level of morality in African society and prescribed lie detector tests for courtrooms.
His words: “Attaching lie detector tests to courthouses could go a long way in restoring the culture of truthfulness, justice and social stability. Time and money would be saved adjudicating on the issues.
“If only lie detector machines could be attached to the lying mouths of some of these so-called professional journalists and commentators, our society would stay focused and the lift-off in the society will also become inevitable. Any loss of lift will not undermine the stability of our society.”
Buhari made the appeal to looters of public funds yesterday when he received a delegation of residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) who came to pay him the traditional Sallah homage at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The President added: “Please tell those with plenty of money which does not belong to them to try and negotiate and return it in peace, so that both they and us will be in peace, otherwise we will continue to look for it and they won’t know any peace.”
Related
Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox every day of the week. Stay informed with the Guardian’s leading coverage of Nigerian and world news, business, technology and sports.
31 Comments
Wow Nigerian are really sorry they dont have person like you as a leader, most of those corrupt people would not be alive today to see or enjoy the stolen loots yep, Nigerians are coward thats the fact alright.
And what commendations has the one man who God has raised to address the issue of corruption in Nigeria been getting from Nigerians since he started the crusade a year ago? Jerry Rawlings is not a Nigeria and therefore Nigeria cannot have anyone like him. Buhari was sent by God as a answer to the prayers of Nigerians for a better alternative to anyone the PDP has got to offer and he has not disappointed so far but Nigerians have.
Buhari was sent by the devil and not God. His body language does not reflect like a person of God. If he is serious with corruption, he should start from himself, IBB, OBJ, Atiku, Tinubu, Fashola, Amaechi and others. Its a mockery to assume that those who are corrupt are only PDP. He should start from beginning. All State governors are corrupt. If he is serious, they should be arrested and sent to gallow.
Are the army officers in court or retired PDP too? Buhari is right to start with PDP members because they ruled the country for 16 years and looted the treasury. Did you read the details of how much Fayose got and kept in his bank account, and the way he rigged the election in 2014?
We read how much your brother Fayose got. Let us read how much Obansanjo, IBB and Atiku got. Let us read what Fashola and other governors got.
President Buhari should start with you, Efula, and your fellow looters of the common wealth of this nation. Imagine your reasoning!!!
I am going to creat a logo with swiss,british and US flag with a scription return our loot Nigeria. It will be ready before the weekend, i will use it as my facebook profile photo.
Brilliant, that’s the way moving forward!!!!!!!!I will appreciate getting a copy!!!!!!
The World wish Buhari well, with WAR in Corruption Yep.
Buhari was sent by GOD. Look at the insult, tomorrow you will ask what you have done when GOD decides to punish you. This same man caused the death of so many people (corpers) post 2011 election, this same man that displays the highest level of nepotism. Watch it, don’t insult GOD
Are you not the FOOL boy?
No I’m the guy that one idiot just responded to my comment
No, you are the CURSED one!
See them, like cows they come in numbers. You cant challenge the initial comment because you are empty. Your work is to move from one farm to the other destroying what they have but cant produce anything useful. Idiot
If you think that this man that is responsible for so many deaths and was ready for more last year was sent by God. You need your head checked
Listen to yourself, do you sound responsible with that comment? Ask yourself…
Don’t listen to yourself but go and check the mirror. Have you forgotten your stupid response above. A typical APC zombie. Just like we have today, all the insults to GEJ forgotten. If one attempts to just criticize not insult present admin then you all come out like nama. Get out of here
Artful Dodger, just continue with your sleeping and dreaming. The day you wake up from your sleep to see reality, you will then understand that Buhari is not sent by God to Nigeria to root out corruption. Buhari is sent to show the reality of the Northern agenda for Nigeria, which will ultimately make all the groups in Nigeria to re-think about Nigerian unity.
I like your summation, after reading this piece it sparked a light in me and I hope to start a crusade indeed, let’s start with hashtag# repatriatourstolenfundsindeeds#and @ Nigerians been cowards we major in the minor, we bully and muscle each other and yet can’t lift a muscle against our stewards. Let’s refocus this physical exertion on this guyz let’s write, protest engage the press, let’s sound like a broken records let’s get a life penalty for looters, let’s eradicate all form of indescipline let’s engage all tiers of Government from our local to federal let’s follow through..I mean it’s endless but we must start from somewhere enough is enough! We can’t leave like animals lawless.
I rest my case for now cause am at a boiling point.
The greatest impediment to decency and morality in Africa especially in Nigeria is the news media. If i have my way i would have since shut down Vanguard newspapers for example! Stoking the ember of resentment, tribal and religious hatred does not count as an ethic of journalism but brown envelope inducement by a demon possessed political party and its politicians who have ruined Nigeria in the last sixteen years. Why the Nigerian government is still allowing Vanguard to be in production is what i cannot understand. I do not know how to make a bomb, i would have since made sure the place go up in smoke to oblivion where it belong!
It’s so unfortunate while people don’t appreciate and belief in anything. If the president hasn’t started the war against corruption, all the loots in billions of dollars would have been retained by persons holding them while u and I keep fighting that Nigeria is a bad country. Even if the monies are not fully recovered, the national shame and disgrace on the individual is enough….
The president and his team are doing superb job and I pray God give them the power to be successful at it.
I would say the same about PUNCH except that i have no interest in bomb-making.
Vanguard is far better in my view.
Time is up for the repositories of our people’s treasures. Sadly, these nations have no intention of doing the right thing by our people as we have all been too stupid to allow rogues to rise to leadership and they don’t have any confidence so far that any repatriated funds will not end up in private accounts. You only need to look at the current battle at home over the unused defence funds, which I am made to understand was not returned to the treasury. These rogues at the helm will use any funds to send their children to such exceptionally expensive schools as Charter House in Godalming, England, whilst our roads, schools, hospitals and power sectors cry out for investment. It is truly painful to realise. I don’t envy these children herewith their fat gaits as they will have to some day, realise that their lot was met with the sweat of our impoverished people back home. I see them. They are innocent now but will soon join their parents in the knowledge that they are responsible for the poor state of our nation and the suffering upon our people as a result.
For corruption PMB caring go, for appointment believe you can found good people from every part of the country to run your administration.
No there will be no global action
What we should do is to make Rawling
an honorary nigerian citizen.
In that way he can come here and apply the famous Rawling treatment
Jerry J. Rawlings is so incensed about the figures being quoted about loots associated with Nigerian politicians. H e must be wondering is there nobody that can bring about sanity in the politicians and public office holders in Nigeria lie he did for Ghana such that you can now walk about in that country with electric energy power 24 hrs 7 days of the week and throughout the year! Last I saw him was during the 2012 election – at one of the polling centres and he was there almost on his own – No security men around him! Now that is the kind of aura a leaders should command in Africa! I am wondering how many can do that in Nigeria? Yeah, the corruption situation is revolting leaves the very bad impression on all the leaders and you wonder but all these Heads of State belong to the Council of State and all Nigeria going through the problems and none of them could say something especially regarding the security bearing in mind that they are all ex-military men – they tell us they want Jonathan to go and capture the boko-haram leaders – you then wonder what the ARE IN THE COUNCIL FOR PERHAPS FOR THAT IMMUNTY which Nigerian Constitution so naively allowed them to enjoy! Nigeria na waoo! What can we say to Rawlings a pity you cannot operate in Nigeria to help us clean out the ‘filthy stables’ really properly! The figures are stinking, tell you the truth and they cannot pay salaries so that people can pay their rents and mortgages – worse still, all those held in prisons on grounds of petty crimes (thieving) are left languishing in the congested cells across the country!
Hello Mr Rawlings can you come over to NIGERIA and help us? You bring SANITY to GHANA Please ! ! ! ! ! ! Name your price
Where is my comments Guardian? Did you DELETE that comment? You are so pathetic
Here is a curiosity after all we want to say or feel about Nigerian loots, with the report flying about associated with the ‘cabal’ and Kitchen Cabinet mendacity in Nigeria my mind is beginning to wobble, how best do we go about the release of the loots to be of a greater advantage to Nigerians? You must remember that the loot belongs to Nigeria as such must be held in ‘Trust’ for Nigerians and for any other African countries so bereft or deprived in the past years through the actions of their frivolous leaders! For this obvious reason that you cannot predict how the leaders and their aides will react – reading my definition of Constitution, I am proposing that the arrangement must be reached for the loots be held in trust in Europe and America for the people and when funds are required like you do for the Budget ascertainment – i. e. ‘Ways and means’, funds (% of it) can be drawn from such ‘trust funds’ from time to time until it is run down! I am worried or concerned about the inability of Heads of States in Nigeria to control the influence on them from the ‘Kitchen Cabinet’ members and as we are now being told about what is happening Administratively-back-stage in Nigeria, it become a thing of concern really what might happen to the loots when discovered or assembled!
Dare I remind (say it) reading from the exposé and from Dr. Junaidu Muhammed’s accounts, we see that the president has his close relations amongst the ‘cabal’ or the Kitchen Cabinet’ membership you recall that it was reported that M. Buhari had his brother-in law or cousin in his petroleum portfolio as a Minister under Obasanjo’s administration in the 1970s and we were told about missing loots; are you saying that it is not going to be same story once again at end of the day that we shall be inundated with allegations upon allegations about ‘stolen’ funds! I am wondering like Sony Okoson averred – “Which way Nigeria?” – which way about corruption – how can the canker-worm be best dealt with in Nigeria as in Europe and in Far East – China and North Korea for example?
Brings me back to my solution, which they need to accept to apply in Nigeria – it is the most effective and without cost, and the UN appears/ expressed willingness to adopt it – it has natural trappings for its application, folks? Look, I want to offer a challenge here; Why not try my solution as you did with my ‘Option A-4’ and you discovered the advantages – in the same manner, why not we try my solution and you see a marked difference in what you are doing presently – you’ll see that it has a universal effect for Nigeria than the selective and off-the-cuff effect of your present approach – transitory!
Its the same “African Socialists” that stole the money in the first place!
They have done much more than we have – especially in the US – to stem the tide of corruption.
FCPA (foreign corrupt practices act) saw convictions of those involved in the Haliburton bribe scandal, the seizure and forfeiture of assets belonging to Equatorial Guinea that had been purloined in favor of the Nguessa family; in neither place has anyone been even arraigned for these crimes
The interesting fact about these discussions regarding corruption is that malaise, wrong headed policies and so on have wasted far more than corruption!
In the year that Buhari had been in office the recently abandoned fiscal policy of fixed exchange rates was responsible for a loss – while defending the value of the Naira – of more than $4 billion; did anyone steal $4 billion this year? Wrong headed policies can be infinitely more destructive than even theft (and stealing too, lol!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9CQZmN1Mhs –
How London fuels corruption | Anthea Lawson | TEDxHousesofParliament
We will review and take appropriate action.