The House of Representatives on Wednesday declared that the Federal Government cannot spend the £4.2m Ibori loot being expected to be returned to the country from Britain without involving the Delta State government.
The House, therefore, asked the Federal government not to spend the amount retrieved from former governor James Ibori, until it concludes an investigation of the repatriation process.
House members from Delta have insisted that the money should be taken back to the state, with a claim that that the actual amount is £6.2m, and not £4.2m reported.
The House consequently resolved to investigate the circumstances surrounding the recovery and planned disbursement of the loot.
Abubakar Malami, Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, on Tuesday, had announced that the recovered loot would be used for Federal Government projects including the 2nd Niger Bridge, the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, and the Abuja-Kano rail.
Malami said this while delivering his speech on Tuesday at the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding between Nigeria and the government of the UK regarding the return and management of the stolen assets recovered from Ibori and associates.
On Wednesday, the House unanimously adopted a motion jointly moved by Delta representatives across party lines, urging the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, to “stop forthwith further appropriation/and or disbursement of recovered loot of the £4.2m pending the final determination of the matter by the House.”
They subsequently asked the ministry and the AGF to furnish the House with all particulars relating to the recovered money, while directing the House Committees on Finance, Justice, Loans, and Recovered Funds to “investigate this matter and revert to the House within two weeks.”
The House members spoke under the Motion titled: ‘Urgent Need to Halt Appropriation of 4.2 Million Pounds Looted Funds Recovered from a Former Governor of Delta State by the Federal Government,’ was sponsored by the Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu and Messrs Victor Nwokolo, Nicholas Mutu, Leo Ogor, Nicholas Ossai, Julius Pondi, Ben Igbakpa, Efe Afe, Thomas Ereyitomi, and Francis Waive.
Elumelu who moved the motion, said, “The House notes that the sum of £4.2m, being proceeds of looted funds recovered from a former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, is being transferred to the coffers of the Federal Government of Nigeria for appropriation without recourse to the Delta State Government and /or parliament in two weeks’ time.
“The House is aware that the said recovered looted funds belongs to the good people of Delta State and, as such, ought to be refunded to the coffers of the Delta State Government for developmental purposes. The House is aware that assets seized by EFCC from states were returned to such states, i.e. Bayelsa and Abia states, etc.
“The House is worried that if the Federal Government is allowed to appropriate the funds without recourse to the Delta State Government, the people of Delta State will be short-changed/deprived of their legitimate resources to improve on the economy of the state as well as provide the requisite infrastructural development for their benefit.”
“From all indications and information to Delta State indicate that the actual money is £6.2m and the Federal Government should ensure that the total of £6.2m is credited, not £4.2m as stated,” the Delta lawmakers said.
