The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has informed about $20 trillion that had been stolen from Nigeria’s coffers.
The mentioned anti-corruption agency said this yesterday, on March 24, in Ibadan at a one day sensitization workshop for Women Civil Society Groups, Vanguard noted.
As it was reported, the plunder was done by leaders who had access to the nation’s money between 1960 and 2005.
The commission also informed that $100 billion had been stolen with an external debt of $33 billion suggesting that paying off the nation’s external debt would have required only a fraction of the money stolen by the country’s leadership.
The commission also added that as the country would elect new leaders in the 2015 elections, women should be “vigilant and disallow people with shady backgrounds from getting into public office.”
The Head Enlightenment and Reorientation Unit (EFCC), Hajia Aisha Larai Musa, emphasized that women anti-corruption initiative programme aimed engaging women in the fight against corruption, financial and economic crimes.
In her own presentation, Dr. (Mrs.) Kemi Wale-Olaitan said, “corruption is not all about men but women inclusive” , stating that sometimes women are forced to pay bribes, even more than money to get what they want.
It will be interesting to recall that former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof. Charles Soludo, had alleged that “over N30 trillion is missing or stolen or unaccounted for, or simply mismanaged” under the watch of the coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance,Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
However, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the former chairman of the EFCC, has stated that it was impossible for N30 trillion to be ‘missing’ from the nation’s treasury.
