President Buhari to Demand Repatriation of Looted Funds at UN Assembly

President Muhammadu Buhari will demand the repatriation of looted public funds to countries of origin, including Nigeria at the forthcoming 72nd United Nations General Assembly, holding in New York, the Foreign Affairs minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, said on Tuesday in Abuja.

He explained that the President  would lead a large delegation to the assembly which would hold between September 12 and 25, 2017.

Onyeama told journalists at a briefing that the fight against terrorism, human rights protection, repatriating illicit financial assets to countries of origin, among other global issues would top Nigeria’s agenda at the UN.

He pointed out that the government was facing challenges of repatriating stolen funds stashed in foreign countries.

The minister added, “The country would push to actualise the UN resolution on ‘Promotion of International Cooperation to Combat Illicit Financial Flows’ so that all the countries of the world would be fully engaged in repatriating stolen funds to countries of origin.

“For Nigeria, it is a developmental issue; it impacts directly on the developmental trajectory of Nigeria and other developing countries, that resources that we need to promote development in the country are being siphoned out of the system and this has negative impact on the developmental challenges that we face.”

He noted that Nigeria would renew calls for international support for the release of the remaining Chibok girls.

On human rights protection, the minister said Nigeria would share with the international community the challenges it faced in a number of conflict areas and the measures taken to enthrone the culture of respect and protection of human rights.

The minister also disclosed that the issue of human rights abuse by UN peacekeepers would be on the front burner.

“There are cases of sexual abuse by UN peacekeepers and one of the major issues that will be discussed will be questions of sexual abuse and exploitation and what needed to be done to address that and hold culprits and their countries to account,” the minister stated.

Nigeria, Onyeama said, would make all the necessary changes needed with regards to Nigerian contingents taking part in peacekeeping operations.

He added that the government would also call for the immediate reform of the UN Security Council to reflect equitable and fair representation.