EU okays N7.2bn for anti-graft war in Nigeria

THE European Union Delegation to Nigeria has made public its commitment to finance three projects valued at 98 million Euro (approximately N20 billion) to support the justice, anti-corruption and drugs sectors in Nigeria.The projects will be implemented by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC.)UNODC, which is a global leader in the war against illicit drugs and transnational organised crime, is also committed to achieving health care delivery, security and justice by tackling global threats and by delivering legal and technical assistance to prevent terrorism.The commitment by the union was made known when the National Planning Commission hosted heads of foreign agencies at a high level project briefing session in Abuja.The session provided opportunity for UNODC to present the recommendations by stakeholders at the pre-implementation workshops for the three projects. At the event, a 35 million Euro (approximately N7.2 billion) financing agreement was signed by the Federal Government and the European Union (EU) in support of government's efforts in preventing and fighting corruption.The agreement was signed by the Minister of National Planning, Dr Shamsuddeen Usman and the Head of the European Union Delegation to Nigeria, Dr David MacRae, on behalf of the government and EU.In his remarks, Dr Usman noted that the projects, which would be implemented by UNODC, were a continuation of the ninth European Development Fund that supported the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the judiciary.He disclosed that the beneficiaries of the projects include the Bureau of Public Procurement, Code of Conduct Bureau/Code of Conduct Tribunal, Public Complaints Commission and EFCC.Others are the National Financial Intelligence Unit, Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering, Technical Unit on Governance and Anti-corruption Reforms as well as civil society organisations.According to him, the overall objective of the three projects is to promote good governance and contribute to Nigeria's efforts in enhancing transparency, accountability and combating corruption while also contributing to the reform of the justice sector and addressing drug related issues.In her remarks, UNODC representative, Ms Mariam Sissoko, listed the expected outcome of the projects to include strengthening of anti-corruption policy, coordination and monitoring mechanisms; strengthening of institutional and operational capacity and empowerment of civil society and its participation in anti-corruption activities.
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