DIGNITARIES at the 10th anniversary of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) in Kaduna, on Thursday, were astonished with the revelation by Professor Bolaji Akinyemi at the Arewa House that $400 billion was stolen from the Nigerian treasury between 1960 and 1999, allegedly by Nigerian leaders.

Professor Akinyemi delivered the lead paper during the anniversary, which had as its theme: Fighting Corruption and Social Conflict to Achieve  Development.

The occasion was attended by prominent Northerners, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Alhaji Yayale Ahmed; former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar; Justice Mohammed Uwais; the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Abubakar Sa’ad; Kaduna State governor, Alhaji Namadi Sambo, his Niger State counterpart, Dr. Mua’zu Babangida Aliyu, other state governors and northern emirs.

Akinyemi, a former External Affairs Minister, said whether Nigeria deserved to be called a kleptocracy or not was left for the people to decide, as the 2009 corruption perception index released by the Transparency International  ranged Nigeria as b130 out of the 180 countries surveyed.

He, however, commended the ACF, saying over the 10 years of its existence, it had spoken on issues that affected the whole gamut of our national existence.

Professor Joy Irukwu, in his address on the occasion, said the way forward for the nation was a positive change of attitude by its citizens and leadership.
“There was a time when Nigerians and their leaders were highly respected nationally and internationally.

“As we propagate the current administration’s rebranding project, we should also reinvent those values, institutions and systems that made us great,” he said.

The chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mrs Farida Waziri, also at the event, said failure of Nigeria to manage its social conflicts and development issues meant it could not effectively tackle corruption.

She said corruption was one human vice that could be only tackled on a collective front, adding that unless we all take ownership of the fight against corruption, there would be no headway.

Earlier in his remarks, the SGF, Alhaji Ahmed, who represented the acting president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, on the occasion, said the nation could not develop if any of its part was lagging behind.

“I will like to emphasise that this nation will never fail because the mistake we have made are not far from being solved. If we continue deceiving ourselves that we have come of age and continue to neglect positive issues, we will never come back,” he said.

Former head of state, General Yakubu Gowon, who was represented by Justice Uwais, said the ACF had a good reason to celebrate, because it had shown to those who founded the forum 10 years ago that their labour had not been in vain.