The federal government has stirred up the hornet’s nest and it is being mercilessly attacked from all angles. Ordinarily, the planned return of £4.2 million (N2.4 billion) looted by the former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, some of his friends, allies and family members by the United Kingdom government to Nigeria, calls for celebration, because it is no mean achievement by the current government. As stated by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, it is an indication of the current administration’s commitment in the fight against corruption in the nation.
However, the announcement by Malami that the recovered fund will be channeled into infrastructural projects in some parts of the country, including the construction of the 2nd Niger Bridge, Abuja-Kano Road, and Lagos-Ibadan Expressway has pitched the government against some individuals and groups, particularly Delta State indigenes who feel that the money having been stolen from their state coffers, should be returned to Delta State. For instance, following a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by all the lawmakers from Delta State, the House of Representatives, Wednesday asked the Federal Government to ensure that the loot is returned to Delta State.
Similarly, the Delta State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, the chief press secretary to the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, Mr. Olise Ifejika, and other notable sons and daughters of the state, including lawyers from both within and outside the state have frowned at the plan by the federal government to appropriate the fund, insisting that the money belongs to Delta State and to her shall the money be returned to.
But the Minister of Justice is unrelenting in explaining why the looted fund should be expended by the federal government when it is returned by the UK government in the next two weeks, going by the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding signed by Abuja and London last Tuesday. Speaking on national television, he said “At any rate, I think the major consideration relating to who is entitled to fraction or perhaps the money in its entity is a function of law and international diplomacy, among others. Function of the law in the sense that the law in contention that is alleged to have been bridged is a federal law.
“That is a starting point. And then secondly, in dealing with the international community, the parties are national and not sub-national governments that are involved… The federal government is the victim of crime and not sub-national.”
We wait to see how this bottleneck will be resolved before the return of the money even though one thinks that commonsensically; the source from where the money was stolen should have it back. Yes, the Delta State Government may have denied ab initio that no money was missing from the state, they may not  have cooperated or played any role in the recovery of the looted fund, but the federal government owes it as a duty to Delta indigenes to return their money to them.
Alternatively, the money should be used to execute federal projects only in Delta State and no other part of the country. The government cannot tell us that without the recovered loot, the 2nd Niger Bridge and the other two federal projects wouldn’t be carried out in spite of several billions of naira already allocated for them. For several years money from different sources has been tied to the 2nd Niger Bridge, yet the project seems to be taking eternity to be completed. We have not forgotten the experiences of the recent past where a tranche of Abacha’s loot was said to have been channeled into Social Intervention Programmes – the N5000 conditional cash transfer and the likes, yet there is nothing to show for that. The whole thing is still shrouded in controversy.
But for the fact that Nigeria is a sovereign country, one would have subscribed to the view that the Brits should make Delta select one or two projects and directly fund these projects so that the people will directly benefit from it. Corruption is so endemic in the country that there is no assurance that the money if left in the hands of the federal or Delta State government will not be re-looted as has become a common practice in the country. Billions of naira have reportedly been recovered in the last few years yet the government is constantly complaining of lack of funds thereby laying credence to the assertion that the monies are not where they should be. Besides, it is a known fact that Ibori still has a great influence in Delta State, how are we sure that some of the cash will not be returned to him if given to the state government?
So, while we bask in the euphoria of the  great feat and hoping that the issue of appropriation of the soon to be returned recovery is handled amicably so as to avoid any unnecessary legal battle between Delta State and the federal government, it is advised that The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and other sister agencies, should take the struggle against corruption to a higher level by placing premium on prevention going forward. The great effort made in recovering the controversial loot will amount to action in futility if measures are not put in place to prevent such an act.
Over the years and even now, our monies are being syphoned out of the country to other countries that use them to enrich their system while the people that own the money keep getting impoverished. In 2020, Nigeria was worn the shameful crown as the poverty capital of the world, yet billions of naira that should have been used to provide the much-needed infrastructure and improve the general wellbeing of the citizens are stolen by a few. There are corrupt people in other countries no doubt,but the difference between Nigeria and some other advanced countries is that their systems are strong to prevent and deal with corruption adequately. Until we have a preventive mechanism in place to ensure that corruption becomes less attractive and that any corrupt person faces the consequences of his action irrespective of his status, political, religious or ethnic lining; until our anti-corruption agencies become independent, our desire to stem corruption in the country will remain a mirage.

By: Calista Ezeaku