Abacha Loot: As Lecturers Leave Nigeria In Droves, Popular Opinion Says, ‘Settle The ASUU/FG Stand-off With It’
The Oasis Reporters
August 29, 2022
By Greg Abolo
@gregabolo
@Theoasisreport1
With Nigeria and the United States government having reached an agreement on the return of over $23 million of the Abacha loot, word on the street says they prefer that the funds be used in settling the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike as a way of restoring normalcy to enable students go back to school.
The recent 23 million dollar loot from Abacha should go towards settling ASUU strike. Let our kids go back to school. It’s long overdue.
— Dr Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed (STAN) #ObiDatti2023 (@Naija_Activist) August 23, 2022
The agreement signing ceremony for the return of the loot was held in the office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami about two weeks ago.
While Mr. Malami signed on behalf of the Nigerian government, the U.S Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard signed on the behalf of the U.S government.
According to Mr Malami, the fund when returned will be invested in three ongoing projects by the Federal Government, including the ongoing Abuja-Kaduna road and the 2nd Niger Bridge.
Nigeria has in the past recovered several other tranches of the Abacha loot, which are proceeds believed to have been diverted from public coffers by the military administration of General Sani Abacha in the 1990s.
In 2020, the US and Jersey also agreed to return over $308 million in confiscated funds to Nigeria.
In 2006, about $723 million in Abacha loot was returned to Nigeria from Switzerland, according to a Channels TV report.
As Nigerians top the global list of Educational visa applicants to the UK, Edo State governor speaks on the issue through his Chief of Staff, Hon. Osaigbovo Iyoha:
“Our universities are on strike to demand quality education for our children. The lecturers did not go on strike because of their interests alone; they are also demanding a better environment for learning.
“It’s quite a shame that our children, brothers, and sisters have been at home for about five months since this strike action by the university lecturers commenced.”
An intangible cost that has not been computed into the imbroglio is that by the time the strike is either suspended or called off, most Nigerian lecturers would not be found.
Hundreds of them have emigrated to Europe, Asia and the Americas where they have joined the growing number of Nigerians in the diaspora. Foreign countries treat their academic staff well. Quite unlike the poor remunerations as well as other terms and conditions of service they are saddled with in Nigeria.
Only recently, the internet went viral with a heart touching video that said what everyone else knows, that the Federal government has stopped paying the striking lecturers. Those who can do menial jobs like driving taxis are out on the streets. While others are basically starving.
Video evidence supporting the view that university lecturers are begging for basic things like food.
‘Ordinary President’, a talk show host, has raised a GoFundMe campaign for the lecturers, which they seem to have rejected.
From the Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari and quite a good number of his ministers including many other lawmakers regularly send their children to colleges abroad, further dwindling Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves with the unconscionable depletion, just because this issue of strike has has been stubbornly allowed to linger for so long.
Nigeria has descended into the worst debt burden ever, due to poor political management of human and material resources.
“We export human resources and foreign reserves instead of growing what we have to attract more foreign exchange. That is the paradox in our country”, Ochuko Otite, told The Oasis Reporters on the line from Ughelli.
Additional reporting from Channels TV.
