ONLY A FRACTION OF NIGERIA'S LOOTED FUNDS HAVE BEEN RECOVERED - PRESIDENT BUHARI

President Muhammadu Buhari has urged Western countries to return assets stolen by corrupt leaders in the past, as well as artifacts taken by British colonialists.

In an opinion piece published in the Financial Times of London on Thursday, October 6, titled 'The West must return Africa's stolen assets, as well as its artifacts,' the president stated that only a fraction of Nigeria's looted funds have been recovered.

He claims that; "Nigerians were delighted by the news this summer that 72 artefacts, known as the Benin Bronzes, held by the Horniman Museum in London were returning home, 125 years after being plundered by British troops. The clamour for repatriation of looted treasures is becoming irresistible.

"There was once a similar clamour for the return of Africa's stolen assets, and see both as part of the same struggle to bring back to Nigeria what is rightfully ours. Siphoned from the continent by corrupt former leaders, countless billions remain stashed in western bank accounts. Although Nigeria has arguably been the most successful among African nations in securing the return of stelen money, it has recovered only a fraction of what remains in the west.

"Given levels of corruption across Africa, there will be concern as to whether funds returned will be used appropriately. But we should not forget that it was through western jurisdictions that the money was laundered in the first place. Not trusting Africans to spend their own money properly echoes the argument that we can't be trusted to look after our own cultural heritage.

"Museums say that treasures should be returned if it can be proved that they were looted. Of course, they argue. it is a different matter if artefacts were acquired through purchases and other legitimate means. But it is the same museums that are responsible for assessing the provenance of artefacts. They have a vested interest in keeping them, encouraging a lackadaisical approach and murky criteria."