Anti-graft War: US Policy Expert Advises On How To Check Movement Of Money

An international affairs fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, Matthew Page, has advised the President Muhammdu Buhari administration on how to effectively check against the movement of ill-gotten money out of the shores of the country to the United States of America.

He said his recommendations, when combined with the US anti-corruption policy rhetoric and measurable actions, will  significantly reduce illicit financial outflows from Nigeria, which by Global Financial Integrity estimates, exceeded $178 billion from 2004 to 2013.

In his article entitled, 'Improving U.S. Anti-corruption Policy in Nigeria', Page further said that failure to take concrete steps will encourage Nigerian kleptocrats to  continue to "see the United States as soft on corruption and a place to hide and spend their ill-gotten gains.

"Formalize an interagency working group on Nigerian kleptocracy. This internal discussion forum would be useful for sharing information and improving coordination between Washington and the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, as well as among policy makers, law enforcement, and the U.S. intelligence community. Better communication at the working level could facilitate stronger vetting of potentially corrupt Nigerians and discourage insulated decision-making.

The US policy expert also called for the establishment of a permanent FBI special agent corruption investigator position at the US Embassy in Abuja.

He said, "In doing so, Washington would send a clear signal that it is upping its anti-corruption commitments and moving away from its hitherto nonconfrontational.

Leadership.