Stolen funds must be returned – Buhari
“My frustration is that some people still have plenty stolen money stashed in Europe, US and other countries.”
Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed his frustration with the fact that there were still a lot of stolen money stashed in Europe, United States of America and other countries.
Buhari who noted that he was doing his best with the little resources at the disposal of his administration to develop the country, added that the repatriation of stolen assets stashed abroad would bolster his administration’s current effort of investing more in critical infrastructure that directly impact the livelihood of Nigerians.
READ ALSO: Buhari determined to sustain Basic Education funding says minister
“I am doing my best now to utilise our resources to develop the country,” he said.
“We are already getting results on road, rail and power. My frustration is that some people still have plenty stolen money stashed in Europe, US and other countries.”
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, in a statement stated that Buhari, yesterday in Paris, France, said this during an interactive session with the Nigerian community.
Buhari assured that allocations to the educational sector would be improved as revenue increases, describing the sector as a major engine for the development of any country.
According to him, the about five per cent allocation to the sector was inadequate to propel the desired growth for the economy, pointing that United Nations target of 26 per cent remains ideal.
“We are currently reviewing investments in the entire infrastructure of the country like road, rail and power, including investing more in education. We will certainly need to do more in education,” he said.
President Buhari enjoined Nigerian elite, both at home and Diaspora, to do more in contributing to the educational sector of the country, expressing surprise that the elite tolerated the fall in standards and structures of educational institutions despite oil windfalls in the past that would have made all the difference.
The Federal Government allocated N542 billion to the Ministry of Education in the 2018 budget out of the N9.12 trillion.
Allocation to the sector in the last 10 years out of a budget of N55.19 trillion was N3.90 trillion or 7.07 percent.
The National Union of Nigerian Students (NUNS) had in October called on the government to implement the 26 percent budgetary allocation to education approved by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), or risk being sued.
In his response to demand that Nigerians in the Diaspora be allowed to participate in elections, Buhari said the population of citizens in various countries across the world already necessitate their inclusion to elect leaders, noting that it might not happen in the 2019 elections as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had been more focused on strengthening and consolidating on its achievements of conducting credible elections within the country.
He said it could happen in future, noting that the Nigerian constitution had taken into cognizance the need for representation in the political structures in order to ensure harmony and development.
He urged more people to pick interest in governance and quality representation.
He assured that the war against terrorism would be reinforced with new weapons and hardware for the military, while the challenge of abduction and kidnapping in some parts of the country would receive more attention with better gathering of intelligence.