FG to seek UN assistance to Combat Illicit Financial Flows

                Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama


The anti-graft war seem to have taken another turn with the resolve by President Muhammadu Buhari to demand return of stolen public funds to its source nation at the forthcoming 72nd United Nations General Assembly holding in New York.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama who disclosed this in a briefing yesterday in Abuja said the President would lead a large delegation to the assembly which would hold between September 12 and 25, 2017.

He also hinted that the fight against terrorism, human rights protection, repatriating illicit financial assets to countries of origin, among other global issues would top Nigeria’s agenda at the UN General Assembly.

He noted that the government is facing challenges of repatriating stolen funds stashed in foreign countries.

The country would push to actualize the UN resolution on ‘Promotion of International Cooperation to Combat Illicit Financial Flows’ so that all the countries of the world would be fully engaged in repatriating stolen funds to countries of origin, he said.

Adding that for Nigeria, it is a developmental issue, it impacts directly on the developmental trajectory of Nigeria and other developing countries that resources that we need to promote development in the country are being siphoned out of the system and this has negative impact on the developmental challenges that we face.