France Returns $150 Million Abacha Loot to Nigeria
President Bola Tinubu has expressed his appreciation to France for the return of $150 million stolen from Nigeria by former military Head of State, late General Sani Abacha.
In addition to the recovery of another tranche of Abacha loot, the President acknowledged the signing of a €100 million agreement between Nigeria and France to support the i-DICE programme, a federal government initiative to promote investment in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Creative Arts Industries.
The President emphasised the need to reinforce collaboration on both political and economic fronts and welcomed the growing cooperation between the two countries in areas of shared interest, such as climate change, economic integration, education, and culture.
Regarding the situation in the Niger Republic, President Tinubu, who is the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, said Nigeria was monitoring the situation in the neighbouring country and exploring diplomatic channels to avoid bloodshed.
He mentioned that he was deploying all appropriate back-channel strategies to avoid bloodshed and to galvanise international partners in the pursuit of a peaceful resolution to the situation in Niger Republic.
The French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs conveyed the goodwill of President Emmanuel Macron and expressed the readiness of France to expand mutually beneficial collaboration with Nigeria across multiple sectors.
She extended a formal invitation to President Bola Tinubu to attend the forthcoming Paris Peace Forum.
On the Abacha loot, the French Presidential Envoy said the repatriation followed the completion of legal processes and commended the President’s leadership in ECOWAS.
Source: Leadership News
