President Umaru Yar’Adua, on Thursday, said that Nigeria and Switzerland were working on the repatriation of other batches of looted funds to the country from the European country
The President disclosed this while receiving the Letters of Credence of the new Ambassador of Switzerland to Nigeria, Mr. Andreas Baum, at the State House.
Yar’Adua commended the Swiss government for cooperating with the Federal Government in the repatriation of the first batch of the looted funds.
He also praised the commitment of Switzerland to the promotion of universal human rights and called for the enhancement of the current bilateral relationship between both countries.
The new Swiss Ambassador described Nigeria as a very active “multilateral actor,” especially in the area of global peacekeeping.
Baum also praised the Yar’Adua administration’s commitment to the promotion of good governance through the institutionalisation of the rule of law.
He noted that his country had cooperated with Nigeria to return looted funds in order to send a clear message that Switzerland “is no longer a refuge for stolen wealth.”
Yar’Adua, at a separate event on Thursday, also received Letters of Credence from the new Jamaican High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Robert Miller.
At the event, the President said that a direct air link between Nigeria and Jamaica would open up and improve trade and cultural cooperation not only between the two countries, but also other countries in the region.
Yar’Adua assured the new Jamaican envoy that the issues of Bilateral Air Services Agreement and Joint Commission between both countries would be given urgent attention.
Miller, who is serving in Nigeria for the second time, described the country as “the richest in potential for greatness in Africa.”
He thanked Nigeria for sending nurses to Jamaica under the Technical Aids Corps programme.
Miller also called for expanded bilateral ties beyond oil transactions under the auspices of the proposed BASA and the reactivated Joint Commission.