Nigeria sought, obtain international co-operation in combating illicit financial flows

The United nations General Assembly has adopted another Nigeria-sponsored resolution to promote international co-operation to combat illicit financial flows, in order to foster sustainable development.
The resolution, strongly supported by the Group of 77 plus China, was adopted without a vote by all the 193 members of the UN General Assembly.
The resolution was built on an earlier one sponsored by Nigeria, and similarly adopted by consensus at the 71st Session of the UN General Assembly on December 21, 2016.
It welcomed the ongoing efforts of Member States to enhance knowledge and broaden understanding of the challenges and opportunities involved with international co-operation to combat illicit financial flows and strengthen good practices on assets return to foster sustainable development.
This includes “the initiative of Nigeria and Norway to this effect as well as the initiative of Ethiopia and Switzerland on good practices on assets return, and calls upon Member States to continue such efforts”.
At the adoption of the resolution, the Nigerian delegation was led by Bolaji Akinremi, Minister/Spokesperson for the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the UN.
Akinremi, who regretted the impact of illicit financial flows on Nigeria and the African countries, challenged the global community to repatriate all illicit financial flows from Africa.
He said since the introduction of the resolution at the 71st General Assembly, the delegations of Nigeria and Norway had made efforts to bridge the knowledge gap within the UN on the issue of illicit financial flows.
He stressed that the global community should no longer turn blind eye to this fact, which had been well articulated and adopted in several reports.
 
He warned that proceeds of corruption, tax evasion, transnational bribery and other forms of illicit flows to requesting states, would continue to be “a wound on the conscience of the global community”.