President Muhammadu Buhari urged the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to accelerate the recovery of Nigeria’s stolen assets stored abroad on Thursday in Abuja.
Speaking to the Executive Secretary of the UNODC, Yury Fedotov, the president stated that the recovery process has been “tedious” and drawn-out. He pressed the international community to cooperate and assist the Nigerian government in recovering its much-needed stolen funds.
“It is taking very long and Nigerians are becoming impatient,” Mr. Buhari said.
The president told Mr. Fedotov that his administration has been fighting corruption and crime since he took office and that such efforts have challenged global perceptions of Nigeria as a bastion of corruption and crime.
“We know that by fighting the scourge of drugs and corruption and rebuilding trustworthiness, integrity, good business practices, and imposing discipline on youths to avoid drugs, we are not doing a favor to the international community, we are doing a favor to ourselves.”
Mr. Buhari emphasized his administration’s willingness to work with the UNDOC in order to rehabilitate young Nigerians who use or traffic drugs.
Mr. Fedotov assured the president that the UNODC would support and cooperate with Nigeria in its fight against drugs and corruption.