France has announced its decision to return $150 million of funds looted by former Nigerian military leader, General Sani Abacha.
The move was welcomed by President Bola Tinubu, who expressed his appreciation for France’s cooperation in repatriating Nigeria’s assets.
During a meeting with Catherine Colonna, the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, President Tinubu conveyed his elation at the strengthening of bilateral relations between Nigeria and France.
He noted that this progress had followed his visit to Paris after his inauguration.
President Tinubu expressed his gratitude for the return of the Abacha loot and assured that the funds would be judiciously utilized to achieve Nigeria’s development objectives.
Additionally, the two leaders discussed the need to enhance collaboration in political and economic domains.
President Tinubu welcomed the growing cooperation between Nigeria and France in areas of mutual interest, including climate change, economic integration, education, and culture.
Furthermore, both countries signed a €100 million agreement to support the i-DICE program, a Federal Government initiative to promote investments in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and the Creative Arts Industries.
The agreement was signed by Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Technology, Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani, and the French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs at a previous event.
The French minister conveyed President Emmanuel Macron’s goodwill and expressed France’s readiness to expand mutually beneficial collaboration with Nigeria in various sectors.
She also extended a formal invitation to President Bola Tinubu to attend the upcoming Paris Peace Forum.
Regarding the Abacha loot, the French Presidential Envoy highlighted the completion of legal processes that led to the repatriation.
She commended the achievement, emphasizing that although justice may sometimes be slow, this repatriation marked a significant milestone.
Minister Colonna also commended President Tinubu’s leadership in handling the affairs of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and expressed France’s support for efforts to maintain constitutional order and democracy in the region.