Port Harcourt — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, to designate resource theft, illegal mining, and mineral smuggling as international crimes, warning that the menace poses a grave threat to the peace, stability, and economic prosperity of the region.
Speaking at the opening of the 7th Annual General Assembly of the Network of National Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa, NACIWA, in Abuja, the President said the growing incidence of resource theft across West Africa fuels insecurity, illicit financial flows, and economic sabotage.
Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, the President described the situation as dire.
“Even now, illicit outflows remain an odious miasma. Stealing of mineral resources is on the rise in the region, fueling the proliferation of small arms and light weapons and other violent crimes such as kidnapping and banditry. These have exacerbated our security challenges and worsened the development outlook of the region,” Tinubu warned.
Tinubu urged ECOWAS to take a united stand against the growing scourge of illegal mining and the illicit trade in natural resources, saying it is time to treat such crimes as threats to collective security.
“The time has come for ECOWAS to designate resource theft, illegal mining, and stealing of minerals as international crimes that threaten the stability of the region, and galvanize the world against trade in stolen minerals from West Africa,” he said.
He emphasised that no single country could tackle the challenge alone, stressing the need for collective regional effort.
“No country can single-handedly win the battle against illicit flows. It requires collaboration, and NACIWA offers ECOWAS a multi-state and multi-stakeholder platform to harness regional efforts against corruption and its manifestations,” he added.
Highlighting Nigeria’s progress in asset recovery and management, Tinubu said his administration had made significant reforms to strengthen the anti-corruption framework and ensure recovered assets are used for development.
“The vision has translated into the recovery of humongous sums by the anti-corruption agencies. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, under the leadership of Ola Olukoyede, who incidentally is the current President of NACIWA, has been prolific in recovering stolen assets,” he noted.
He disclosed that funds recovered by the EFCC were channeled into national development initiatives.
“Our commitment is to ensure that recovered stolen assets become enablers of growth and instruments for social inclusion. Two legacy programmes of my administration, the Students Loan Scheme and the Consumer Credit Scheme, commenced operation with the injection of N100 billion in recovered proceeds of crime by the EFCC,” he explained.
Earlier in his remarks, EFCC Chairman and President of NACIWA, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, reaffirmed the Network’s commitment to deepening regional collaboration against corruption.
He highlighted progress made under his leadership since 2022, including the establishment of a permanent secretariat in Nigeria, observer status at the GlobE Network, and the designation of the EFCC Academy as NACIWA’s Centre of Excellence for capacity development.
“We must acknowledge the evolving landscape in which our institutions operate. Political transitions, security concerns, and governance challenges across member states underscore that our fight against corruption cannot be divorced from broader considerations of political stability and social justice,” Olukoyede stated.
He also revealed that the Network had proposed its formal recognition as a Technical Commission under ECOWAS Protocol Article 19, to institutionalise coordination on investigations, asset recovery, and anti-corruption policies across the subregion.
Nigeria’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, praised Olukoyede’s leadership, describing it as “distinguished and exemplary.”
“Let me commend the EFCC Chairman, who, as NACIWA President, has strengthened the Network not only in integrity but also in transparency and accountability,” Fagbemi said.
Similarly, Senator Emmanuel Udende, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes, stressed the importance of regional cooperation.
“Corruption’s trans-border nature demands we go beyond national efforts to embrace strong regional cooperation, intelligence sharing, and joint asset recovery,” he said.
Also, Hon. Ginger Onwusibe, Chairman of the House Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes, represented by Nnamdi Ezechukwu, noted that corruption transcends borders and requires joint responses.
“Corruption does not respect borders; it moves through our systems, our banks, our pockets, and our politics. That is why our efforts must also transcend borders,” he said.
President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, represented by Vice President Damtien Tchintchibidja, commended the EFCC’s leadership for strengthening regional anti-corruption cooperation.
“NACIWA has made significant strides in promoting collaboration, though there is a need to further intensify cooperation,” she said.
The Assembly concluded with delegates renewing their commitment to harmonise legal frameworks, improve cross-border intelligence sharing, and enhance asset recovery mechanisms across West Africa.
Themed “A United ECOWAS Against Corruption: Strengthening Regional Collaboration for Asset Recovery and Exchange of Information,” the event brought together heads of anti-corruption agencies, ECOWAS officials, legislators, development partners, and civil society leaders from across the subregion.
This article was originally posted at sweetcrudereports.com
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