Return stolen funds, Buhari begs developed nations

President Muham­madu Buhari has explained that his administration is fighting the scourge of corruption headlong because it con­tributes to the denial of the resources required for de­velopment.

He spoke in New York at the High-Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development.

The President called on development partners to join the fight against cor­ruption by returning ill-gotten financial assets and halting future illicit finan­cial flows to their countries.

According to the Nige­rian leader, such collective action “will guarantee a stronger international defense of the right to devel­opment”. He pointed out that illicit financial assets stashed abroad deprive de­veloping countries, includ­ing Nigeria, and invariably deny people the enjoyment of their national wealth and resources needed for devel­opment.

The president cautioned that non-repatriation of il­licit financial assets could impinge on the determina­tion of states to achieve an all-inclusive 2030 sustain­able development.

Buhari therefore called on the United Nations “to remain vocal and active in addressing the negative impact of non-repatriation of illicit financial assets on their countries of origin,” adding that “as soon as sto­len assets are legally estab­lished, they should swiftly be repatriated.”

The president welcomed the commemoration of three decades of the Dec­laration on the Right to Development, which he observed, coincides with the first anniversary of the adoption of the 2030 Agen­da for Sustainable Develop­ment.