President Muhammadu Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and
Publicity, Garba Shehu, has said the federal government is working on an
Executive Order, which will tackle fraud and money laundering.
Shehu stated this while appearing on Sunday Politics, a programme on Channels Television.
He described the 77 suspects on the FBI list released last week, as an embarrassment to the country.
“This is a double damage on every citizen of Nigeria. It is a big
scare on all of us who go out of this country and are seen in this image
that these our brothers have created.
“We will cooperate with international organizations, the government
will generate and ask for new laws from the National Assembly and there
will be new executive orders that will block some of these loopholes
that are being exploited by some of our fellow country men to go out
there and embarrass and blacklist the country,” Shehu said.
On the specific reaction of the federal government on the list of the
FBI, he said: “Like I said earlier, this administration will work with
all nations around the globe to fight criminality. If Nigerians are
involved in this thing, well hard luck to them.
“The president will not stand in the way of the justice system. Every
citizen that travels out of this country is expected to obey the laws
of their host country. President Muhammadu Buhari is not one to excuse
Nigerians from the laws of countries in which they reside.
“Therefore you will expect a more vigorous engagement with National
Assembly. The laws will have to change, this has got to be tackled and
if it will take executive orders, this will be strengthened very
rapidly.”
Asked if there is direct communication between Nigeria and the
American government on the incident, the presidential media aide said:
“Yes, the diaspora commission is there and the Nigerian Government has
taken position on this matter, it is cooperation all the way.
“I think every person with a modicum of common sense knows that the
action of few Nigerians is not the action of all Nigerians. We are 200
million plus in the country and you are talking about 80 Nigerians in
this case, they will face the justice system, if the Nigerian Government
is expected to cooperate in anyway, extradition, if it meets the
requirement of our laws, they will be assisted to ensure they face
justice in that country.
“Nigerians are hardworking people all over the world, there are
millions of our citizens out there earning legitimate living, they don’t
deserve to be so tarnished.”