Developing Story: Ordinary Nigerians To acquire Ownership Of Duplexes, Other Apartments Built Through Stolen Funds
By PHC Telegraph
President Bola Tinubu renews the hope of ordinary Nigerians to own property, directs sale of property developed through stolen funds.
Nigerians are to have the opportunity to bid when the time comes for the purchase of each of the 753 housing units seized in Abuja by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from a for Governor of the nation’s Central Bank.
The directive issued by President Bola Tinubu which may redefine the way the system handles assets recovered from crooks is coming in the wake of the formal forfeiture of a 753-unit housing estate allegedly erected by Godwin Emefiele.
The President is quoted as saying that the structures, proceeds of corruption, should be completed and sold to Nigerians who may be interested in acquiring them.
The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Dangiwa who disclosed this after the EFCC handed over the facility to his ministry also noted that Tinubu had directed that the sale of the housing units built through stolen funds belonging to the Nigerian people should follow a transparent process.
“This handover”, the Minister explained in a tweet, “is in line with the directive of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, that the recovered estate be completed and made available to the Nigerian public through a transparent and accountable process.”
Dangiwa lauded the anti-graft agency for its fight against corruption, describing its efforts at asset recovery as a significant milestone.
But he observed that the greatest benefit derived from the fight against financial crimes however lies in ensuring that recovered assets are made to benefit the Nigerian people directly.
Under the proposed plan to publicly dispose of Emefiele’s alleged loot, the minister revealed that staff of his ministry and the EFCC would embark on an assessment tour of the facility.
Outlining the benefits of the proposed tour, Dangiwa said integrity tests and other structural assessments would be conducted in a bid to ensure that the housing units are stable and safe for human habitation.
Recall that Ola Olukoyede, the chairman of the EFCC, had explained that the recovery of stolen assets is a practical example of the government’s battle against corruption.
According to him, the administration’s posture was intended to show Nigerians that the seizure of proceeds from crime by the commission would be carried out in a transparent manner that benefits the public.