President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday appealed to world leaders, in whose domain stolen funds and assets are being kept by corrupt individuals, to help return such to their countries of origin.
Buhari also called on the international community to urgently redouble its efforts at strengthening mechanisms for dismantling safe havens for proceeds of corruption.
He said in his address to world leaders at the 70th United Nations General Assembly holding in New York.
The President identified corruption, cross-border financial crimes, cyber crimes and human trafficking as major challenges of the 21st century, which he said the international community must work to collectively overcome.
He said his administration was determined to confront corruption and illicit financial outflows.
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Buhari told the world leaders, “Let me reaffirm the Nigerian government’s unwavering commitment to fight corruption and illicit financial flows.
“By any consideration, corruption and cross border financial crimes are impediments to development, economic growth and the realisation of the well-being of citizens across the globe.
“Nigeria is ready and willing to partner with international agencies and individual countries on a bilateral basis to confront crimes and corruption.
“In particular, I call upon the global community to urgently redouble efforts towards strengthening the mechanisms for dismantling safe havens for proceeds of corruption and ensuring the return of stolen funds and assets to their countries of origin.”
The President also suggested the adoption of peace as a seventh essential element of the Sustainable Development Goals, which was adopted last Friday by world leaders in New York.
He added, “The Secretary-General has grouped the SDGs into what he calls six ‘essential elements’ namely: Dignity, Prosperity, Justice, Partnership, Planet and People.
“As a prerequisite to these and as we look at history and remember the terrible events that gave rise to the birth of the United Nations in 1945, I would like to propose a seventh: PEACE.
“Peace is close to the hearts of Nigerians, as we are in the front line in the war on terror. Boko Haram’s war against the people of Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon may not attract as much worldwide attention as the wars in the Middle East but the suffering is just as great and the human cost is equally high.
“This is a war between progress and chaos; between democracy and the rule of law. Boko Haram celebrates violence against the weak and the innocent and deplorably, they hide behind their perverted interpretation of Islam. Boko Haram is as far away from Islam as anyone can think of.”
Buhari assured the global community that his administration would do all within its powers to quickly overcome the challenge of terrorism and insecurity.
“The new Nigerian government, which I have the honour to head, moved with dispatch to put in a bold and robust strategy to defeat Boko Haram. Nigeria and her neighbours, Cameroon, Chad and Niger plus Benin, are working together to face this common threat within the regional framework of the Lake Chad Basin Commission.
“We have established a multinational joint task force to confront, degrade and defeat Boko Haram. We have driven them away from many of their strongholds, killed or captured many of their operatives or commanders and freed several hundreds of hostages,” he said.
He also assured the world leaders that rescuing the Chibok girls kidnapped in their school in Borno State over a year ago remained one of the major objectives of his administration.
“We are working round the clock to ensure their safety and eventual reunion with their families. The girls are constantly on our minds and in our plans,” he said.
The President condemned what he called the new and dangerous dimension of human trafficking in the world.
“We in Africa are grieved to see hundreds of our able-bodied men and women dying in the desert or drowning in the Mediterranean. We condemn in the strongest terms these traffickers and will support any measures to apprehend and bring them to justice,” the President said.aa
Noting that the world was witnessing a dreadful increase in conflicts fuelled by availability of small arms and light weapons, Buhari called on the international community to work towards the effective implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty to ensure that small arms and light weapons could only be legally transferred.
He reminded the global gathering that peaceful co-existence and self-determination were among the key principles that led to the establishment of the UN.
He also called for the urgent resolution of the question of self determination for the people of Palestine and Western Sahara.
He said, “The international community has come to pin its hopes on resolving the Palestinian issue through the two – states solution, which recognises the legitimate right of each state to exist in peace and security.
“The world has no more excuses or reasons to delay the implementation of the long list of Security Council resolutions on this question. Neither do we have the moral right to deny any people their freedom or condemn them indefinitely to occupation and blockade.” Punch
