Use Looted Funds, Forfeited Assets for Public, TUC Tells FG

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has urged the federal government to use all the forfeited properties for public interest.

It added that the over N1trn recovered from corrupt Nigerians should be used to provide some basic amenities lacking all over the country.

The Prof. Itse Sagay-led Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) recently, declared that the Committee has generated a total of N1 trillion in cash, as part of the looted assets.

The Congress in a statement jointly signed by its President and Secretary General, Comrade Quadri Olaleye and Comrade Musa-Lawal Ozigi, commended the effort of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices And Other Related Offences Commission, (ICPC) and the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, at trying to sanitise the country and get it rid of corruption.

Comrade Olaleye suggested that the properties should be used for public interest like; school, hostels, Youth Corpers’ lodge, tax offices, youth development centres.

“I have seen pictures of police barracks and military cantonments in the country and I can tell you they are displeasing and ugly sights. These security operatives live and raise children in very dirty environments; whereas some privileged individuals loot the treasury to build mansions and even own estates in choice cities.

Those estates should be converted to an extension of police and military barracks.

He further said that efforts should also be made to reclaim and sell out the properties acquired in foreign countries. It makes no sense stealing from the country and investing elsewhere, while agencies of government are in a rented apartment and Nigerians homeless.”

The TUC boss said that if the country was going to change then we all must begin to do things differently. He counseled the federal government and agencies in charge to leave no stone unturned in the fight for sanity in the system.

“Some people have alleged that the corruption fight is only against the opposition parties. While many of us do not believe that we would like to advise that the fight be total, irrespective of whose ox is gored,” he emphasised.