The Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) has described its selection to organize a side event at this year’s World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Spring meeting, as a massive opportunity to tell the positive story of how recovered assets were successfully monitored by civil society groups in Nigeria. ANEEJ, which is also the Lead organization implementing the Transparency and Accountability in the recovery and management of recovered assets (MANTRA) project with support from the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) has been picked to put together a side event at the Civil Society Forum during the World Bank and IMF meeting scheduled for October 15-18, 2019 in Washington DC.
According to statement signed by the Acting Executive Director of ANEEJ, Mr. Leo Atakpu, ANEEJ has received the approval of the bank’s session proposal review committee to anchor a session on The Role of the World Bank in Facilitating Stolen Asset Return. The session is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, October 17.
“This is a cheery news for us implementing the MANTRA project because this approval will afford us the opportunity to continue to tell the good story emanating from Nigeria that it is important to repatriate looted assets to finance development and that the recovered assets returned to Nigeria, contrary to what used to happen in the past, is now being positively managed and used for the victims of corruption,” he said.
The statement further enthused that the ANEEJ team will be heading to Washington DC to tell the MANTRA story of positive use of returned $322.5million Abacha loot returned from Switzerland. The Acting Executive Director also stated that the opportunity will be used to push for the repatriation of Nigeria’s seized Abacha and other yet to be returned loot currently stashed in the USA and other jurisdictions. According to the anti-corruption activist, part of the justification of the push for the return of looted assets would be found in the fact that Nigeria now has system that can guarantee the use of such assets for the benefit of the poor, thereby mitigating the risk of the assets being re-looted.
He said: “The Civil Society Policy Forum (CSPF) which has become an integral part of the World Bank Group (WBG) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Spring and Annual Meetings, will provide ANEEJ and the MANTRA team an open space for us to dialogue and exchange views with Bank and IMF staff, their peers, government delegations, and other stakeholders on this issue of asset recovery and management.
“We are currently putting together a strong team of experienced and highly knowledgeable panelists that will be speaking at the session. We are also drawing a list of participants from around the world to make a very meaningful outing at this year’s Bank and Fund Spring meeting.” Atakpu stated.
