Few weeks after President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the federal government has revealed that efforts were in top gear to secure a list of Nigerians who owned choice properties in the country from proceeds of fraud.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, while briefing the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs during the budget defence of the ministry, said the Nigerian government was in talks with the UAE government in getting a list of all properties owned by Nigerians.
According to him, with the presence of the new All Progressives Congress (APC) government and the change mantra, Nigeria’s diplomatic missions will be repositioned to effectively carryout their functions.
On the issue of money laundering and the role of Nigeria’s foreign missions abroad, he disclosed that the Ministry is presently engaged in the recovery of over $300 million laundered money in the State of New Jersey in the United States of America.
Meanwhile, a Senate panel has urged foreign missions abroad to be watchdogs of the federal government in its fight against money laundering which has made countries abroad their safe havens.
The recommendation was given by Senate Leader Ali Ndume during the 2016 budget defence of Foreign Ministry.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has revealed plans to employ families of dead victims as well as other injured persons of the 2014 immigration test stampede.
Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Danbazau disclosed this in an interview with newsmen at the end of the ministry’s budget defence yesterday.
Dambazau said the ministry, in accordance with a presidential directive, has concluded plans to employ them, adding that their letters of employment will be issued shortly.
“There is a Presidential directive and we are implementing that directive…They will get their letters of employment as soon as possible. It is now for the board to sit down and organise the process. We want to ensure that the process is transparent so that nobody can criticise it in the future,” he said.
In April 2014, over 20 applicants died during a nationwide recruitment exercise conducted by Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS). Several others were injured during the stampede.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan, then promised to give automatic employment to family members of deceased applicants. Other applicants who sustained different degrees of injuries were also promised automatic employments.
Subsequently, a presidential directive was given, but was not followed through before the expiration of the tenure of the last administration. Similarly, a Senate committee report which indicted some officials of NIS and the former minister of Interior, was not implemented by the last administration as well.
