The Nigerian Government has said it would channel the recently repatriated Abacha loot worth $311m to road construction and the fight against Coronavirus in the country.
Presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, made the disclosure in a statement on Tuesday.
Shehu added that it would also be used in the completion of the Mambilla Power Project, which has the capacity to generate electricity for more Nigerian households.
He said, "On Monday, May 4, 2020, some $311m stolen from the citizens of Nigeria during the Abacha regime were safely returned to our country from the United States.
"These funds have already been allocated and will be used in full for vital and decades-overdue infrastructure development: The second Niger Bridge, the Lagos-Ibadan and Abuja-Kaduna-Kano expressways – creating tens of thousands of Nigerian construction jobs and local skills, which can then be useful in future projects. See Also 1 Day Ago
"Part of the funds will also be invested in the Mambilla Power Project which when completed, will provide electricity to some three million homes – over ten million citizens in our country.
"The receipt of these stolen monies and the hundreds of millions more that have already been returned from the United Kingdom and Switzerland are an opportunity for the development of our nation, made far harder for those decades the country was robbed of these funds.
"Indeed, previous monies returned last year from Switzerland, some $320m, are already being used for the government’s free school feeding scheme, a stipend for millions of disadvantaged citizens, and grain grants for those in severe food hardship.
"Without these funds, the fight against COVID-19 would be even tougher."
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