Corruption: Osinbajo says all returned looted funds will be judiciously utilised

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said that the Federal Government’s fight against corruption is on course and that all monies returned to government by those who looted public treasury will be judiciously utilised to develop the country.

Osinbajo gave the assurance on Wednesday in Abuja at a town hall meeting organised by the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) and Daria Media with support from the MacArthur Foundation.

The town hall meeting tagged: “The Candidates“is a two-hour televised series between the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates of four leading political parties.

The parties were selected from the results of multiple polls aggregated by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD).

The vice president, however, said that the federal government had been able to block channels of looting the nation`s treasury through the Treasury Single Account (TSA).

He said that all returned looted funds would be used following budgetary process, saying that, in the case of properties, ones there was a final forfeiture, such property (asset) become the property of the state unless where there was a legal claim to it.

He, however, said that the mere fact that someone returned monies acquired through illegal means while holding public office did not make him a free person.

This, Osinbajo said, was especially so as some of such persons could still be facing investigation.

While speaking on the farmers’ herders clashes especially in Benue, the vice president attributed the development to climate change.

He said the development was getting worse because of desertification, adding that the federal government was collaborating with the country`s neighbours to address it.

He said the federal government was making efforts to recharge the Lake Charge which he noted was shrinking.

The vice president said that the long term plan to address the development was to create ranches, saying that water dams were presently being created by the federal government as a short term measure.

According to the organisers of the town hall series, Omoyele Sowore and his running mate, Rabiu Rufai, would feature on Jan. 23, while Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, Peter Obi, would be feature on the programme on Jan. 30.

The platform provided an opportunity for the studio audience which included Civil Society Organisations, Diplomatic Corps and some members of the general public who had applied online to directly interact with the presidential candidate and his running mate.

The event was also streamed online at www.dtv.media and nta.media live to enable Nigerians in the diaspora and those not near television screens to participate.

The President Buhari administration had taken on the three arms of government where corruption was alleged, including the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) who was not spared.

The former SGF, Babachair Lawal, is still being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over corruption charges.