The British Government has urged her Nigerian counterpart to “diligently” see through its recent efforts to address large-scale petroleum sector fraud, assuring of its support.
The call came as Nigerians await the outcome of the House of Representatives probe into a scandalous management of government fuel subsidy, in which more than N2 trillion had been lost through shady practices by operators.
A government task force, headed by former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu, has been named to help address rot in the sector.
The House has promised a fair and balanced report, amid concerns of pressure for a watered verdict.
On Thursday, House spokesperson, Zakari Mohammed, said the report will soon be made public; adding that Nigerians are already benefiting from the outcome of the probe as it has led to a drop in the rise of the dollar and the Naira stability.
Meeting with Farouk Lawan, who led the House of Reps probe a month ago, Stephen O’Brien, the UK Minister for International Development, called for “appropriate follow-up action” on the fight against corruption in the petroleum sector.
“We welcome recent efforts by the Nigerian government to address corruption in the petroleum sector,” he said. “We hope that these efforts will be diligently executed and appropriate follow-up action will be taken.”
O’Brien said UK support for fight against corruption in Nigeria has helped recover 8 billion pounds stolen cash and assets. He said a new law, UK Bribery Act, which came into effect July 2011, is part of the British government’s commitment to tackle corruption in the developing world involving British citizens and interests.
He cited the recent guilty plea by former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, as a testimony to the efforts of the UK authorities in combating fraud.
“James Ibori admitted stealing from the very people he was elected to serve after ground-breaking investigation by the Metropolitan Police Service’s Proceed of Corruption Unit,” he said.