The cabinet members of erstwhile President Goodluck Jonathan will undoubtedly be facing some measure of unease following recent statements by President Muhammadu Buhari.
On his four day visit to the United States, top of his agenda was anti corruption as well as seeking coopearation with America to help trace funds stashed away in foreign accounts by former public officials.
In his session with Nigerians in the diaspora, the President revealed that some former ministers were the arrowheads of the secret sale of crude oil; “Some former ministers were selling about one million barrels per day. I assure you that we will trace and repatriate such money and use the documents to prosecute them. A lot of damage has been done to the integrity of Nigeria with individuals and institutions already compromised”
We are now looking for evidences of shipping some of our crude, their destinations and where and which accounts they were paid and in which country.
“When we get as much as we can get as soon as possible, we will approach those countries to freeze those accounts and go to court, prosecute those people and let the accounts be taken to Nigeria.
“The amount of money is mind-boggling but we have started getting documents. We have started getting documents where some of the senior people in government, former ministers, some of them operated as much as five accounts and were moving about one million barrels per day on their own. We have started getting those documents.
“I assure you that whichever documents we are able to get and subsequently trace the sale of the crude or transfer of money from ministries, departments, Central Bank, we will ask for the cooperation of those countries to return those monies to the Federation Accounts.
“And we will use those documents to arrest those people and prosecute them. This, I promise Nigerians”
He revealed that his administration will seek to tow a “steady” line to ensure that there are no mistakes.