The Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, Garba Shehu, has apologised for an error in his earlier statement regarding how the federal government would utilize the recently recovered $311 Sani Abacha loot.
In the statement he issued on May 5, Shehu said part of the funds had been allocated to the ongoing Mambilla Power Project.
The presidential aide however clarified in another statement he issued on Wednesday, May 23, that the Mambilla Power Project would not receive allocation from the recently recovered Abacha loot.
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Shehu noted that the project was not included in the repatriation agreement signed between the Nigerian government, and those of the United States and Jersey, on how the money would be used when repatriated.
He said, “The recently repatriated Sani Abacha loot will go towards three of the federal government’s five priority projects, excluding the Mambilla power and East-West road projects.
“In an earlier statement, I had mistakenly noted that the Mambilla Project was one of five priority projects to benefit from the $311 million Abacha loot under the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) managed by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA). That error is regretted.
“Although the Mambilla and East-West expressway are regarded under the PIDF as priority projects, I have ascertained that they are exempt from the agreement signed between the Nigerian, United States and British territory of Jersey governments.
“According to the document, only the second Niger bridge, Abuja-Kaduna-Kano expressway, and Lagos-Ibadan expressway will benefit from the repatriated funds. The funds are domiciled in the NSIA,” said Shehu.