The United Kingdom’s minister for international development, Grant Shapps, has confessed that corruption in Nigeria has been adversely affecting the economy of his country even as he pledged full support for the ongoing anti-corruption fight in Nigeria which was launched by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The minister who said that the UK is fully committed to helping Nigeria increase its security, stability and prosperity, noted: “corruption in Nigeria also affects the UK directly. Where we have evidence, we will continue to take action to protect the integrity of the UK’s financial system and prevent its use for money-laundering purposes.”
The minister spoke when he visited Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, in the federal capital of Abuja to commemorate the launch of the 100 Million Pounds Accountability and Governance Programme. The programme is aimed at fighting corruption and promoting good governance.
“We would continue to provide capacity building, technical and investigative support to Nigeria to tackle corruption.”
The remarks were made weeks after President Buhari asked international community to dismantle safe havens and repatriate funds to tackle corruption. The leader warned that funds allegedly stolen during the previous government are often lodged in other countries. [myad]
