US, others will Help Nigeria Recover Stolen Funds - Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday said his administration had received firm assurances of cooperation from the United States and other countries on the recovery and repatriation of funds stolen from Nigeria.

The president spoke when he had an audience with members of the Northern Traditional Rulers Council led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, Buhari noted that it was now up to Nigeria to provide the international community with the facts and figures needed to drive the recovery effort.

“In the next three months, our administration will be busy getting those facts and the figures to help us recover our stolen funds in foreign countries,’’ the President told the traditional rulers .

Citing the report submitted by the Ahmed Joda-led transition committee, Buhari said several revenue-generating institutions in the country had been compromised leading to a weak economy.

On insecurity, the president said the traditional rulers could play a key role in stemming the terrorism and insurgency in Nigeria by assisting the government with cost-effective intelligence gathering.

Buhari also assured the traditional rulers that his administration was working hard to end insecurity and terrorism in the country in the shortest possible time with the cooperation of neighbouring countries and the international community.

Acknowledging that Nigerians expected a lot from his administration, the president appealed for patience and understanding while his government works diligently to speedily overcome the huge national challenges it inherited.

The sultan had earlier presented the Northern Traditional Rulers’ recommendations to the president on issues related to national development.

The sultan told the president that as custodians of tradition and stakeholders in the Nigerian project, the traditional rulers had a responsibility to always advise political leaders on the “path of truth and justice.”

“We have always advised our leaders, but their acceptance of our advice is their own prerogative,” the sultan said.

The traditional rulers assured the president of their unflinching support for his administration’s efforts to fulfill its promises to Nigerians.

US, others will Help Nigeria Recover Stolen Funds - Buhari