YAKUBU Gowon, former Nigeria military head of state said he was disappointed by allegations and remarks by Tom Tugendhat, a United Kingdom lawmaker, that he looted half of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) before leaving office in 1975.
Tugendhat had during the UK Parliament’s debate to consider an E-petition signed by more than 200 thousand Nigerians requesting that officials of the Nigeria government who contributed to violation of human rights during the protest be sanctioned, alleged that Gowon committed the crime before moving to London where he was seeking asylum after he was ousted.
The MP disclosed that some Nigerian politicians have stolen from the coffers of the government and moved to London to hide their loot. He, however, asked the UK government to call out the corruption in Nigeria and use its power to stop the looting happening in Africa’s most populous country.
He asked the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and the UK parliament to stop corrupt Nigerian politicians from profiting from the wealth of Nigeria and hiding it in England. He also urged the UK government to stop funding some Nigerian security agencies which he described as corrupt.
“What we are seeing in Nigeria today is part of that story. It is a tragedy that we are all watching and witnessing. As we see things falling apart, the pressure this time is not foreign colonialism, but corruption, violence and attempts at control. I totally agree with my friend, the hon. Member for Edmonton, that we need to call out the corruption and use the powers we have in this country to stop those who are profiting from the wealth of that great nation, and hiding it here.
“Some people will remember when General Gowon left Nigeria with half the Central Bank of Nigeria, so it is said, and moved to London. We know that today, even now in this great city of ours, there are some people who have taken from the Nigerian people and hidden their ill-gotten gains here. Sadly, we know that our banks have been used for those profits and for that illegal transfer of assets. That means that the UK is in an almost unique position in being able to do something to exert pressure on those who have robbed the Nigerian people,” Tugendhat said.
Reacting, Gowon, during an interview with Channels Television, expressed his surprise that a British parliamentarian could make such an unfounded allegation against him.
“It is certainly surprising, and I am disappointed that a British parliamentarian could make such a statement without checking the facts of what he was saying.
“I honestly was disappointed that such a remark is made,” he said.
While stating that he heard the news on social media, Gowon called on the lawmaker to get his facts right. He added that since his exit as military dictator, no one has accused him of money laundering against him.
He called on the UK government to take the necessary step, and added that making such allegation was an insult to him and Nigeria.
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