President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to combating corruption, citing the recent seizure of an estate allegedly linked to former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele.
The estate, comprising 753 duplexes and apartments in Lokogoma, Abuja, was seized by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) following a court affidavit that implicated Emefiele and his associates in the ownership of the property.
During his first presidential media chat in Lagos on Monday monitored by Persecondnews, President Tinubu noted that his administration is focused on addressing the root causes of corruption, including the lack of social amenities, high cost of living, and inadequate educational funding.
He highlighted several measures aimed at reducing corruption, such as the introduction of the National Economic Liberation Fund (NELFUND), a significant increase in the minimum wage, and increased funding to states and local governments.
The Nigerian leader said:”The lack of social amenities, high cost of living, and lack of educational funding push up corruption. My administration is focused on what drives corruption; that’s why we introduced the NELFUND and increased the minimum wage by over 100 percent.
“There is increased funding to states and local governments. These are all measures to tame corruption.
“The seizures of the 753 duplexes and apartments is aimed at making corruption an unattractive venture, and we are not taking our eyes off the serious matters while we fix the country.”
Persecondnews recalls that a court affidavit filed by the EFCC revealed details implicating Emefiele and his associates in the ownership of the estate.
The affidavit, sworn to by Idi Musa, an investigating officer with the EFCC, was submitted in support of an application for the final forfeiture of the property, filed at the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, on 21 November.
The anti-graft agency announced it had secured the final forfeiture of the estate, describing it as the largest single-asset recovery since the agency’s inception in 2003.
The property is a vast estate covering 150,462.86 square meters.
The affidavit disclosed that the EFCC, while investigating alleged monumental fraud carried out by Emefiele and his cronies, traced and discovered several properties suspected to have been acquired and/or developed with proceeds of unlawful activities.
According to the EFCC, the estate in Lokogoma was abandoned and left under the care of a security guard since June 2023, following Emefiele’s arrest.
The land, identified as Plot 109 at Cadastral Zone C09, was initially allocated to Windermere Nigeria Limited in September 2010 for mass housing development.
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