Never in the history of Nigeria has anti-corruption drive of the Federal Government yielded so much- N57.9 billion and $666.676 million-according to Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN).
Of this amount, N7 billion and $10 million cash was recovered from private residences of former public officers, the minister said in an update on the crusade. He made this revelation while defending the 2017 Appropriation bill of his ministry before the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters at the National Assembly in Abuja. He was however silent on the identity of the individuals in whose houses the money was recovered.
The farthest he went was that the recovered funds included “the N50b fine paid by MTN, N7 million and $10 million (recovered from private residences) and N90 million (which was voluntarily returned).”
Malami’s spokesman, Salihu Isah, also quoted him as saying: “$250m found to be proceeds of illegal oil bunkering has been temporarily forfeited to the government; $136.676 million is awaiting actual remittance, while $270 million FG’s fund has also been recovered from commercial banks.” The Attorney General said the ministry operated through 2016 without capital budget.
Malami said: “Our budgetary proposal of N18, 528,093,480.00 was not appropriated thereby compelling the Ministry to operate on a zero capital budget.
“I am happy to state however, that we as a ministry recorded modest achievements in the act of contributing to the revenue generation of the federal government notwithstanding the zero capital budgets.”
The AGF said a total of N6,914,774,768.00 was earmarked for the Ministry in the 2017 budget as against N3,921,612,815 last year
He explained that the Ministry plans to spend N4,278,824,404.00 on personnel cost, N1,000,006,899.00 on legal services, N946,834,670.00 on overhead and N689,108,794.00 on capital projects.
He explained that the personnel cost will also cover allowances of Nigerian lawyers providing legal services within the sub-region and the recently approved harmonization of salaries of lawyers in the Ministry.
Malami stressed that the legal services sub-head caters for the core mandate of the ministry, including payment of legal fees to external solicitors engaged by the Ministry. He said: “This sub head has been allocated the sum of N1,000,006,898.00 (One billion, six thousand, eight hundred and ninety nine naira) as against N843,563,146.00 allocated in 2016, representing an increase of N156,443,753.00, about 18.5 per cent increase.
“Given the enormous additional responsibilities on the ministry arising from the passage of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 as well as the increase in the quantum of other activities currently being pursued by the Ministry, this amount is unarguably, grossly inadequate and will unfortunately over stretch the Ministry capacity to cope to the maximum in the light of the prevailing realities.”
Malami expressed optimism that the N689,108,794.00 allocated to the ministry for 2017 capital projects will boost the Ministry’s performance index. “The projects, if implemented, will greatly enhance our capacity for effectiveness and improved service delivery and undoubtedly encourage and motivate our lawyers to give their best in the service of our dear nation,” the AGF maintained.
Responding to Senator Ovie Omo-Agege’s comment on the payment of outstanding judgment debts, Malami explained that he was conscious and perturbed, adding that concerted efforts are ongoing to offset the outstanding and probably abate future debts.
He said: “I have a cause to sign a letter sent to the Budget Office this morning before leaving my office to attend to this national calling and constitutional responsibility. “If the desired response was not gotten from the Budget Office between now and Monday next week, I will fall back on the committee for emergency executive meeting on the way out of the judgment debts outstanding.”
