From Godwin Tsa Abuja
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for the successful recovery of 753 housing units allegedly traced to former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele in Abuja.
HURIWA has however opposed the decision to hand over these housing assets to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.
Rather, the association said the housing assets be donated to the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to be turned into living quarters for the armed forces just as some of them be donated to surviving direct families of military combatants killed or maimed in the ongoing war on terror.
Specifically, the estate, spanning 150,500 square metres, located on Plot 109, Cadastral Zone C09, Lokogoma District, Abuja, was recovered and became the federal government’s property after a court ordered its final forfeiture in December last year.
In a statement by its national coordinator Emmanuel Onwubiko,
HURIWA condemns the EFCC for persistently concealing the identity of the former top public officer who cornered public funds to erect those exotic edifices just as the Rights group commended investigative journalists who reportedly uncovered the identity of the alleged erstwhile corrupt public office holder as the immediate past Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria Mr. Emefiele.
A statement by the EFCC’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, on Tuesday, said the commission’s Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, formally transferred the property during a brief ceremony at the headquarters of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Developmentin in Abuja on Tuesday.
“The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has taken delivery of the 753 Housing Units Abuja housing estate of former Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,” the statement said.
Receiving the keys to the estate, the minister, Mr Dangiwa, praised the EFCC for what he called a “significant milestone” in the collective effort to fight corruption.
The minister said both the ministry and the EFCC would conduct a joint familiarisation tour of the estate to assess the current state of the estate.
Mr Dangiwa added, “The Ministry will offer the units for sale both to the public and for special government needs. For the public sale component, we will adopt a transparent and competitive process. This will include nationwide advertisement and the use of the Renewed Hope Portal where interested Nigerians can submit their Expressions of Interest.”
Reacting to the notification by the federal ministry of housing and urban development to sell the houses to the so-called members of the public, HURIWA said these houses would be sold at give-away prices to members of the All Progressives Congress and then the revenue recouped may be mismanaged for political campaigns for the second term ambition of President Tinubu.
The Rights group again canvassed that the housing assets be handed over to the Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa and the ministry of Defence for the purposes of resetting/repurposing them and then converting them as living quarters for serving soldiers just as some of the units of houses should be used to resettle families of soldiers killed or maimed by Boko Haram terrorists or bandits in the North East and North West. HURIWA said it is unfortunate that our Country is not sufficiently compensating members of the armed forces who are dying everyday to protect us from the venomous violence of Islamists and terrorists.
“Government should take steps to ensure that recovered stolen assets are not re-looted by the serving public office holders but these housing assets acquired unlawfully from stolen funds should be put to use to benefit patriotic Nigerians such as soldiers and members of the armed forces who are making the Supreme sacrifices to defend the territorial integrity of the federal Republic of Nigeria.