The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, has called on the Federal Government to use all the forfeited properties for public interest. It added that the over N1trn recovered from corrupt Nigerians should be used to provide some basic amenities lacking all over the country.
The Itse Sagay -led Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, PACAC, recently, declared that the Committee has generated a total of N1 trillion in cash, as part of the looted assets.
The Congress in a press statement signed by its President and Secretary General, Comrade Quadri Olaleye and Secretary General, Comrade (Barr.) Musa-Lawal Ozigi, mni, respectively, commended the effort of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Independent Corrupt Practices And Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC and the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, PACAC, at trying to sanitise the country and get it rid of corruption.
Comrade Olaleye specifically suggested that the properties should be used for public interest like; school hostels, Youth Corpers’ lodge, tax offices, youth development centres, etc. “I have seen pictures of police barracks and military cantonments in the country and I can tell you they are displeasing and ugly sights. Theese security operatives live and raise children in very dirty environments; whereas some privileged individuals loot the treasury to build mansions and even own estates in choice cities. Those estates should be converted to an extension of police and military barracks.”
Speaking further, the labour chief added “effort should also be made to reclaim and sell out the properties acquired in foreign countries. It makes no sense stealing from the country and investing elsewhere, while agencies of government are in a rented apartment and Nigerians homeless.”
The TUC boss said that if the country is going to change then we all must begin to do things differently.
He counseled the Federal Government and agencies in charge to leave no stone unturned in the fight for sanity in the system. “Some people have alleged that the corruption fight is only against the opposition parties. While many of us do not believe that we would like to advise that the fight be total, irrespective of whose ox is gored,” he emphasized.
