Peter Obi, former Governor of Anambra State, has commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after the anti-corruption Agency announced “₦853 billion has been recovered from crime proceeds within one year”.
Obi described the money as a “tiny fraction of the funds looted”; he said, what really matters is the use of these funds in a “verifiable and accountable manner”.
The 2023 Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) listed, “education and poverty alleviation” as areas where these recovered funds can be put to use.
He continued, the Nigerian people are eager to see impact, and that, “where and how” these funds are invested must be traceable.
Obi wrote on X: “Making Recovered Funds Impactful
“The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s(EFCC) announcement that ₦853 billion has been recovered from crime proceeds within one year is a step in the right direction. The Commission deserve our commendation for this effort, even though we are aware it’s just a tiny fraction of the funds looted from the public treasury.
“Beyond this recovery therefore, what truly matters is the utilisation of these funds in a verifiable and accountable manner, specifically in the critical areas of development, health, education, and poverty alleviation to benefit the people.
“Nigerians want to see impact. We must be able to trace where and how these recovered funds are invested.”
Obi lamented, Nigeria currently ranks “highest in the world” with out-of-school children, with a figure of “over 20 million”.
He added, the out-of-school children situation is “worse” in the Northern region of the country, urging that, the recovered funds be invested to “immensely contribute” to ensure the “cycle of illiteracy” is broken.
Obi further wrote: “Currently, we have over 20 million out-of-school children in the country, the highest in the world. Similarly, we have the highest number of acute poor in the world, over a hundred million.
“In both cases, it is worse in the North, and all efforts toward reducing the situation remain imperative. If these recovered funds and subsequent ones are strategically invested, they would immensely contribute to breaking the cycle of poverty, illiteracy, and insecurity.
“Let this not just be another announcement of recovery. Let it be the beginning of a new era of accountability, where every kobo retrieved is turned into classrooms, hospitals, skills, and opportunities for ordinary Nigerians.”
