The Labour Party and the African Action Congress have slammed the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government for earmarking N3bn for the renovation of two luxury Abuja properties forfeited to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The PUNCH reports that the landed properties located in the Guzape and Mabushi areas of the Federal Capital Territory are part of several illegally acquired assets and proceeds of money laundering recovered by the EFCC.
A document obtained by our correspondent on Wednesday revealed that the Federal Government plans to convert the recovered properties to State House complexes.
This is part of the 2023 Supplementary Appropriation details for the State House sent to the National Assembly for approval.
President Tinubu had on Tuesday asked the National Assembly to approve the N2.17tn supplementary budget.
The budget was approved by the Federal Executive Council at its meeting on Monday.
According to the document, N1.5bn was earmarked for the acquisition, renovation and rehabilitation of 2Nos. EFCC forfeited quarters as State House Complex at Mabushi.
Another N1.5bn was earmarked for the acquisition, renovation and rehabilitation of 2Nos. EFCC forfeited quarters as State House Complex at Guzape.
An impeccable source within the EFCC who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity noted that the Federal Government had the sole responsibility to handle the properties since it was forfeited to the FG, adding that the duty of the EFCC is to arraign suspects.
“It is true that the EFCC helped in securing the forfeiture of the properties amongst many others. But only the Presidency can determine how the properties would be handled since it was forfeited to the Federal Government,” the source noted.
Reacting to the development in an exclusive interview with our correspondent on Wednesday, the spokespersons for the LP Presidential Campaign Council, and the National Publicity Secretary for the AAC, Yunusa Tanko, and Olorunfemi Adeyeye, respectively, said the move was proof that the Tinubu administration does not care about the suffering of the Nigerian masses, “most of whom have been subjected to multi-dimensional poverty.”
Tanko said, “Nigerians must resist this in its totality; not in the midst of hunger, poverty, and insecurity should anyone earmark such huge amount of money for the jamboree. However, we have earlier foreseen this; we’ve seen this before, and it has been interplayed.”
On his part, Adeyeye said, “The Nigerian masses must vehemently resist this ridiculous move by the Tinubu-led government to expend N3bn in renovating two properties seized from political thieves. Of course, the forfeited properties in question would have most likely been recovered from members of the same bourgeois class as the President whether in the All Progressives Congress or in the Peoples Democratic Party or any of their appendages.
“However, as we have always said, now is another good time for Nigerians to troop out and occupy the streets in protest against all anti-people’s policies by the Tinubu-led government ranging from fuel subsidy removal to increment in tuition fees across public tertiary institutions, amongst others.”
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