Opinion / Columnist
Nigeria recovers $1 billion of Abacha's loot - a must read story for Mugabe, Tsvangirai and all looters
12 Jan 2016 at 22:05hrs | Views
When Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn into office 29 May 2015, he vowed to deal with corruptions. Most people dismissed that with the usual "Yeah, we have heard that one before!" and who would blame the cynicism. How many times we have all heard leaders promise to end corruption but as soon as they are in power, they too start cashing in using their position as cover.
President Muhammadu Buhari has brought something new and fresh in Nigeria and Africa – a leader who will not just talk about ending corruption, the biggest self-inflicted problem that has stalled Africa's development since the end of colonial rule, but actual do something about this scourge. He has been in office for less than a year and already he has a major scalp!
"We are in touch with Switzerland; they have recently recovered quite a significant amount of money and I met last week with Swiss representatives to work out the modality for the repatriation of the funds," Nigeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama announced.
"The Swiss government has already repatriated over $700m from (the late Gen. Sani) Abacha loot and that agreement has been reached on how the money would be applied.
"They have also now recovered in the same context another $300m of which there is ongoing discussion to have that repatriated as well. There are discussions with other countries; United Kingdom for instance, as you all know, is one of the countries we are discussing with on how to recover looted funds."
General Sani Abacha was a ruthless tyrant who imposed himself as Nigeria President in 1993 to 1998 he love of power was only exceeded by his love of wealth and good living. The Nigerian government is going to recover $1 billion from Switzerland alone. Whatever loot they uncover, it will only be a tiny fraction of what was looted; most of the money is wasted away on luxury goods, failed business ventures, very expensive holidays, etc. Ask President Robert Gabriel Mugabe, Zimbabwe President from 1980 and still counting, he knows all about looting and waste.
President Mugabe is pocketing $2 billion a year from the granddad of all the looting happening in Zimbabwe's Marange and Chiadzwa diamond fields. His Finance Minister, Patrick Chinamasa, presented a $3.8 billion national budget two months ago; so the whole nation, all 14 million of us, has to make do with $3.8 billion whilst Mugabe alone keeps $2 billion!
Sani Abacha was one of the rogue African leaders but compared to Mugabe; Abacha looted the ticks off the elephant's back whilst Mugabe has gone for the entire herd of elephants!
Mugabe only managed to stay in power in 2013 because Morgan Tsvangirai failed to implement even one democratic reform necessary to stop the tyrant rigging elections. Still there is a growing head of steam to get the reforms implemented and thus stop the vote rigging. When there is regime change, it is imperative that the new regime recovers as much as possible Mugabe's looted wealth!
General Abacha left office in 1998 and it is only now that someone is paying more than lip-services to ending corruption in Nigeria. One hopes that Mugabe's looted wealth will be recovered a.s.a.p.
Zimbabwe must recover all the looted wealth spirited out of the country as well as all the assets in the country. Mugabe must know that his Blue Roof mansion; Tsvangirai's $4 million Highlands mansion (the bribe he received for doing nothing about implementing the reforms); Bona Mugabe's Zhou Farm complete with the two storey house and herd of cattle; etc. these must all be recovered and given back to the people – the rightful owners of all looted wealth!
President Mugabe is in the Far East on his annual $3 million plus month-long annual holiday. The story of Nigeria recovering Abacha's looted wealth is a MUST READ story for President Mugabe; he must be reminded that the whole world has lost patience with tyrants who loot and pillage whilst millions of their people suffer in dumb anguish!
President Muhammadu Buhari has brought something new and fresh in Nigeria and Africa – a leader who will not just talk about ending corruption, the biggest self-inflicted problem that has stalled Africa's development since the end of colonial rule, but actual do something about this scourge. He has been in office for less than a year and already he has a major scalp!
"We are in touch with Switzerland; they have recently recovered quite a significant amount of money and I met last week with Swiss representatives to work out the modality for the repatriation of the funds," Nigeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama announced.
"The Swiss government has already repatriated over $700m from (the late Gen. Sani) Abacha loot and that agreement has been reached on how the money would be applied.
"They have also now recovered in the same context another $300m of which there is ongoing discussion to have that repatriated as well. There are discussions with other countries; United Kingdom for instance, as you all know, is one of the countries we are discussing with on how to recover looted funds."
General Sani Abacha was a ruthless tyrant who imposed himself as Nigeria President in 1993 to 1998 he love of power was only exceeded by his love of wealth and good living. The Nigerian government is going to recover $1 billion from Switzerland alone. Whatever loot they uncover, it will only be a tiny fraction of what was looted; most of the money is wasted away on luxury goods, failed business ventures, very expensive holidays, etc. Ask President Robert Gabriel Mugabe, Zimbabwe President from 1980 and still counting, he knows all about looting and waste.
President Mugabe is pocketing $2 billion a year from the granddad of all the looting happening in Zimbabwe's Marange and Chiadzwa diamond fields. His Finance Minister, Patrick Chinamasa, presented a $3.8 billion national budget two months ago; so the whole nation, all 14 million of us, has to make do with $3.8 billion whilst Mugabe alone keeps $2 billion!
Sani Abacha was one of the rogue African leaders but compared to Mugabe; Abacha looted the ticks off the elephant's back whilst Mugabe has gone for the entire herd of elephants!
Mugabe only managed to stay in power in 2013 because Morgan Tsvangirai failed to implement even one democratic reform necessary to stop the tyrant rigging elections. Still there is a growing head of steam to get the reforms implemented and thus stop the vote rigging. When there is regime change, it is imperative that the new regime recovers as much as possible Mugabe's looted wealth!
General Abacha left office in 1998 and it is only now that someone is paying more than lip-services to ending corruption in Nigeria. One hopes that Mugabe's looted wealth will be recovered a.s.a.p.
Zimbabwe must recover all the looted wealth spirited out of the country as well as all the assets in the country. Mugabe must know that his Blue Roof mansion; Tsvangirai's $4 million Highlands mansion (the bribe he received for doing nothing about implementing the reforms); Bona Mugabe's Zhou Farm complete with the two storey house and herd of cattle; etc. these must all be recovered and given back to the people – the rightful owners of all looted wealth!
President Mugabe is in the Far East on his annual $3 million plus month-long annual holiday. The story of Nigeria recovering Abacha's looted wealth is a MUST READ story for President Mugabe; he must be reminded that the whole world has lost patience with tyrants who loot and pillage whilst millions of their people suffer in dumb anguish!
Source - Patrick Guramatunhu
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