Abacha loot: Organised labour supports FG’s cash transfer to poor homes

Organised Labour has expressed its support for the Federal Government’s decision to pay the $322 million Abacha loot as cash transfer to poor homes through Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT).

A NEC member of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and General Secretary of the National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), Comrade Issa Aremu, in Kaduna frowned at the recent call by the National Assembly for the executive arm of government to pay the repatriated monies into the Consolidated Revenue Account and be distributed to the federating units in line with the current revenue sharing formula.

While addressing a workshop on the “Provision and Spread of Socio-Economic and Infrastructural Facilities” organized by the Federal Character Commission (FCC), Comrade Aremu said the recovered Abacha loot from Switzerland was negotiated to be used for budgeted World Bank assisted Social Investment Programme (SIP) through cash transfer to the poor.

Aremu observed that it was wise that the Federal Government gave poorest Nigerians the cash transfer as a matter of right rather than what he called “undignified handouts” by some corrupt politicians.

He urged the National Assembly to partner with the Executive through the Federal Character Commission to ensure the cash transfer was not limited to the poor households in 19 states alone but must be spread to all the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory in line with the Federal Character principle.