LINUS CHIBUIKE
THE Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has inaugurated an Inter-Ministerial Committee on the Disposal of Federal Government of Nigeria’s Forfeited Assets.
The 21-man committee has been given six months to dispose of all Federal Government forfeited assets.
The constitution of the committee, according to the AGF, was approved by President Muhammadu Buhari.
It is chaired by the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Dayo Apata.
Malami said, following the recommendations of the Presidential Audit Committee on Recovery and Management of Stolen Assets, President Buhari had, in October 2018, directed effective and efficient management of recovered assets, as an interim measure, pending the passage of the Proceeds of Crime Bill.
He said in compliance with the directives, the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice issued Asset Tracing, Recovery and Management Regulations, 2019, to provide legal and administrative frameworks for the investigation, tracing, seizure and disposal of stolen or illegally acquired assets and proceeds of crime.
“The regulation was drawn from the extant laws of the relevant anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies,” he said.
Malami noted, “It is aimed at ensuring proper coordination of the disposal of the Federal Government assets and for promoting a uniform, harmonised and transparent procedure to safeguard the assets recovered by the relevant agencies in line with the anti-corruption drive of this administration.
“It is my pleasure to note that Mr. President approved the composition of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on the Disposal of Federal Government of Nigeria Forfeited Assets on October 27, 2020, which we are inaugurating today.”
According to him, the regulation was drawn from the extant laws of the relevant anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies.
The AGF stressed, “It is aimed at ensuring proper coordination of the disposal of the Federal Government assets and for promoting a uniform, harmonised and transparent procedure to safeguard the assets recovered by the relevant agencies in line with the anti-corruption drive of this administration.
“It is my pleasure to note that Mr. President approved the composition of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on the Disposal of Federal Government of Nigeria Forfeited Assets on October 27, 2020, which we are inaugurating today.
“The Committee has a time frame of six (6) months for the disposal of all Federal Government Forfeited Assets.”
He listed the responsibilities of the committee to include: ensuring the transparency of the disposal of Federal Government final forfeited assets and the synergy and collaboration between the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies, other relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies and the Non-Governmental Organisations in the collation of records of all assets.
According to him, the committee will also ensure that information flow on assets is in place; will respond to any ongoing asset management audit and the asset performance reports; and consistently implement enablers and controls that support decision making and efficiency of service delivery which governs the disposal of assets.
“Your mandate is to ensure the expedient disposal of all FGN Forfeited Assets and generate revenue for the Federal Government of Nigeria. Accordingly, I wish to solicit the cooperation of all members of this Inter-Ministerial Committee in that respect,” he said.
Members of the committee include representatives of the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President, the Federal Ministry of Justice; Federal Ministry of Finance, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Auditor-General of the Federation, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission.
Others are representatives of the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Police, Nigeria Security Civil Defence Corps, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Department of State Security, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Department of Petroleum Resources, National Oil Spillage, Detection and Response Agency, Bureau of Public Procurement, and the Civil Society Organisation.
Representatives of the youth, the media, and other Nigerians with exceptional expertise that could add value to the Committee as deemed fit by the Attorney General of the Federation, are also included in the committee.
