The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said over N100 million unremitted funds has so far been recovered from mining operators in Akwa Ibom State.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the proceeds have been lodged in the federal government coffers at the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development as directed by the he Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr Ola Olukoyede.
EFCC’s Zonal Director for the Akwa Ibom zone, Oshodi Johnson who presented the fund through a draft to the Federal Mines Officer in-charge of the State, Mr Emmanuel Effiong Bassey in Uyo, explained that the recovery followed series of petitions against the firms after failure to remit the royalty fee to the federal government.
“The ministry put up a petition about many companies operating within the confines of the state, taking resources and failing to give back to federal government. This is a sabotage and we won’t allow that to thrive because by extension the general public suffers,” he stated.
He explained that the Commission recovered the money from mining firms that had defaulted in the payment of royalties to the federal government.
Johnson added that the handover of the cash reflected the anti-graft agency’s commitment to transparency and accountability in asset recovery.
“With the approval of the Executive Chairman, we are handing over the draft publicly to the ministry. The amount on the drafts is N100million.
“I want the general public to know that this is just a tip of the iceberg and the Commission will continue to recover every government kobo that is hanging anywhere. We are still investigating and we are going to make bigger recoveries in this sector and beyond,” he said.
He, therefore, called for a stronger cooperation between ministries and the EFCC, especially in the area of intelligence sharing.
Receiving the draft, Mr Bassey praised the EFCC for its swift action on a petition submitted by the ministry, describing the mining sector as critical to Nigeria’s economic stability.
“I commend the Zonal Director for his quick response in addressing the concerns contained in the petition we sent.
“This sector is very critical to the economy because without this sector, the country struggles, so the synergy really needs to be deepened. With this, we are hoping that much more will come”, he stressed.
