Ms Laing stated that “Tackling illicit corruption in Nigeria is critical to the country’s prosperity and security, and to addressing poverty and inequality."

By Kabir Yusuf

An American foundation, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, is poking accusing fingers in the eyes of Nigerian political elites, saying they are using the British educational system as a money-laundering shield in the guise of seeking better schooling opportunities for their wards.

This was a key point in a report released Thursday in Washington DC written by the foundation’s non-resident scholar on democracy, conflict and governance, Mathew Page, titled “West African Elites’ Spending on UK Schools and Universities: A Closer Look.”

Mr Page, its author, is a famous Nigeria expert, author, and consultant on Nigeria. Previously, he was a top Nigeria expert with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research, where he also served the Defense Intelligence Agency, Marine Corps Intelligence and the National Intelligence Council. He is also a nonresident fellow with the Centre for Democracy and Development in Abuja.

The report was commissioned by the UK government, British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing said in Abuja Friday, saying it was motivated by her government’s desire “to better understand the risk to the UK from illicit finance in West Africa. We will now consider the reports finding and take a view on what if any further action is required.”

Ms Laing stated that “Tackling illicit corruption in Nigeria is critical to the country’s prosperity and security, and to addressing poverty and inequality,” adding that “the UK is working in partnership with Nigeria to tackle corruption and illicit finance and has excellent relationships with Nigerian agencies and civil society who are fighting corruption.”

The Carnegie report also suggested colleges and universities in the United Kingdom are complicit in the process, saying the UK is still “reluctant to acknowledge outside criticism of the sector’s AML [anti-money laundering] shortcomings or to derive lessons learned from recent anticorruption failures” adding that some have even shown willingness “to matriculate students linked to known—and even convicted—kleptocrats.”

The UK government also got knocks from the report for its “policies and programmes seeking to boost the country’s international education sector” which the report said, “lack a much-needed anti-corruption component.”

It argued the case that the increasing reliance on schools in advance countries of the west for the education of their wards expands the disincentives to strengthen their own home educational institutions.

“The capital flight and greater foreign exchange and currency pressures associated with paying costly school and university fees have harmed these countries’ future development and prevented them from correcting deeper socioeconomic inequalities that compound underdevelopment and can even spark violent conflict.

“As long as PEPs flock into the education sectors of countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States instead of investing in their own sectors, West African countries will continue to suffer a “brain drain” and financial outflows that harm their economies” the report asserted.

Ms Laing responded that “The UK has a zero-tolerance approach to corruption and remains committed to tackling it wherever it happens, including in the United Kingdom (UK) education system.”

The traditional argument by many Nigerian political elites that they accumulated vast wealth before entering politics, does not hold water, according to the report based on data, because “very few would be able to show convincing evidence of how they did so.”

While the majority of Nigerian and Ghanaian students studying in the UK are neither linked to PEPs [politically exposed persons] nor represent a corruption risk, the report claimed, “a small but significant share do” and that “Illicit financial flows into UK educational institutions via West African PEPs are noteworthy and should receive greater scrutiny.”

Arguing for reforms, the report said a “stronger policy focus on the corruption vulnerabilities of the UK education sector could also support UK international development goals by reducing “educational escapism” by elites who choose to school abroad while neglecting domestic educational institutions.”

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/439404-nigerian-elites-using-uk-schools-as-shields-for-money-laundering-report.html

It has gotten so bad in Nigeria that for you to succeed if you ain't careful you must be a criminal or get into one crime or the other.


In fact, we have institutionalized corruption and crime in this country.

Unfortunately UK tax system charges 50% tax on their idle funds....

Our elites are so wicked, self centered and callous. Most of them are destined for hell.

That so called billionaire from Ogun state that died early this year when he contracted Covid could not get an hospital bed in the UK despite being a millionaire pounds sterling.

He came back to die in Nigeria, without leaving a tangible legacy.

I doubt if he built a single hospital despite being worth 500mil dollars.

Lesson: the white man will take a poor fellow white man over a rich black man

The truth is that UK love how Nigerian elites run Nigeria because they so much gain from it, so, UK stopping money laundering from Nigeria is an Impossible Happening Tense.

UK schools receive £30m illicit funds mostly from Nigeria ― Report


https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/01/uk-schools-receive-30m-illicit-funds-mostly-from-nigeria-―-report/


Too much stealing in this country. That's why we remain under-developed

TO ALL THE POLITICIANS UNA PAPA NYASH SEE THE KIND SUFFERING WEY FULL THIS COUNTRY

Southerners are hell bent on spoiling the image of this nation through financial crimes and money laundry. Like Invictus, like Tinubu, like Okorocha, like Ibori and Hishpuppy.

But in the midst of all these evil, Buhari have never been involved. He's a man of integrity

AlhajiImam:
Southerners are hell bent on spoiling the image of this nation through financial crimes and money laundry. Like Invictus, like Tinubu, like Okorocha, like Ibori and Hishpuppy.

But in the midst of all these evil, Buhari have never been involved. He's a man of integrity

like maina

David Cameron proven right once again.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg7lfHL_l1w

AlhajiImam:
Southerners are hell bent on spoiling the image of this nation through financial crimes and money laundry. Like Invictus, like Tinubu, like Okorocha, like Ibori and Hishpuppy.

But in the midst of all these evil, Buhari have never been involved. He's a man of integrity

Maine, Magu and Dasuki says hello.

Nigeria,my country

Okay

gasparpisciotta:
Unfortunately UK tax system charges 50% tax on their idle funds....

Our elites are so wicked, self centered and callous. Most of them are destined for hell.

That so called billionaire from Ogun state that died early this year when he contracted Covid could not get an hospital bed in the UK despite being a millionaire pounds sterling.

He came back to die in Nigeria, without leaving a tangible legacy.

I doubt if he built a single hospital despite being worth 500mil dollars.

Lesson: the white man will take a poor fellow white man over a rich black man

Who is this billionaire? Buruji?

AlhajiImam:
Southerners are hell bent on spoiling the image of this nation through financial crimes and money laundry. Like Invictus, like Tinubu, like Okorocha, like Ibori and Hishpuppy.

But in the midst of all these evil, Buhari have never been involved. He's a man of integrity

It is high time Seun hires more people to moderate this forum. Comments like these have no place in civilised conversations because of their divisiveness and inherent primitiveness.

These wicked elites and so called leaders have bastardized our educational system but now take their wards to go school abroad.

They're so wicked that they will still embezzled Nigerian monies in the course of doing that after going their on health tourism & fake diplomatic engagements.Until the day Nigerians rise up to these leaders, there will be no changes.

[s]

AlhajiImam:
Southerners are hell bent on spoiling the image of this nation through financial crimes and money laundry. Like Invictus, like Tinubu, like Okorocha, like Ibori & Hishpuppy But in the midst of all these evil, Buhari have never been involved. He's a man of integrity

gasparpisciotta:
...That so called billionaire from Ogun state that died early this year when he contracted Covid could not get an hospital bed in the UK despite being a millionaire pounds sterling.

He came back to die in Nigeria, without leaving a tangible legacy.I doubt if he built a single hospital despite being worth 500mil dollars....

[/s]Same President Buhari that shamelessly goes to cosy & costly London hospitals to seek healthcare despite his own words of never going to do so? Same man who blocked forex for others but his own children schools in same London? Same Buhari whose family have turned London to their second country of tourism or resting point.

You must be the newest zombie on the block. "Any person who is obsessed with proclaiming his so called integrity at the slightest opportunity but won’t investigate, much less fire, shady characters he has appointed to work with and for him can’t possibly be truly a person of integrity. 

From PTF to The Buhari Organization (TBO), Buhari has consistently protected corrupt close aides from the consequences of their ethical and legal infractions.This attitude of mollycoddling corrupt but loyal aides and appointees while pretending to be a man of “integrity” who is “fighting” corruption is getting worse by the day indicates that, in spite of self-righteous declarations to the contrary, Buhari is himself morally indistinguishable from his crooked cronies.

There is no point recalling Buhari’s overprotection of corrupt & disgraced former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal.Buhari actually wrote in his personal capacity to exonerate Lawal of corruption charges, but was later forced to eat his own vomit by firing him.To this day, Lawal hasn’t been prosecuted, is still a regular visitor to the Presidential Villa....

So it is impossible to deploy the resources of logic to argue that Buhari has integrity.He doesn’t. Well, unless integrity means something to Buhari supporters other than what it actually means in the English language."

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailytrust.com.ng/amplite/adeosun-s-nysc-certificate-is-as-fake-as-buhari-s-integrity-260912.html

That na old school method now

AlhajiImam:
Southerners are hell bent on spoiling the image of this nation through financial crimes and money laundry. Like Invictus, like Tinubu, like Okorocha, like Ibori and Hishpuppy.

But in the midst of all these evil, Buhari have never been involved. He's a man of integrity

I can see our ATM ancestor, Abacha is also a Southerner.

Eish

I had similar feeling sometimes ago, it's true

helinues:
I can see our ATM ancestor, Abacha is also a Southerner.Eish

After doing sai baba zombie for same man that boldly said "Abacha never stole a dime"? In what way are you different from him.Abeg swerve!

Racoon:

After doing sai baba zombie for same man that boldly said "Abacha never stole a dime"? In what way are you different from him.Abeg swerve!

There are other millions of NL's you can engage with.

Stop making a trolling a profession..

[s]

helinues:
There are other millions of NL's you can engage with.Stop making a trolling a profession..

[/s]We troll those who dont want to be cured of their self imposed ignorance because they are infectious to others. "Sometimes, people dont want to hear the truth because they dont want their illusions destroyed." -Friedrich Nietzsche.

RuudVanNisteroy:
David Cameron proven right once again....

My brother this nation is not only under siege but a curse of bad leadership.

Racoon:
[s][/s]We troll those who dont want to be cured of their self imposed ignorance because they are infectious to others. "Sometimes, people dont want to hear the truth because they dont want their illusions destroyed." -Friedrich Nietzsche.

If that should be the case, then you need to attend to yourself personally first before curing others

helinues:
If that should be the case, then you need to attend to yourself personally first before curing others

See who is talking.So again Nairalanders, abeg who need to be cure of ignorance between Racoon and Helineus?
Like - Racoon.
Share - Helineus

Racoon:
[s][/s]
Same President Buhari that shamelessly goes to cost London hospitals to seek healthcare despite his own words of never going to do so? Same man who blocked forex for others but his own children schools in same London? Same Buhari whose family have turned London to their second country point of tourism or resting point.

You must be the newest zombie on the block. "Any person who is obsessed with proclaiming his so called integrity at the slightest opportunity but won’t investigate, much less fire, shady characters he has appointed to work with and for him can’t possibly be truly a person of integrity. 

From PTF to The Buhari Organization (TBO), Buhari has consistently protected corrupt close aides from the consequences of their ethical and legal infractions.

This attitude of mollycoddling corrupt but loyal aides and appointees while pretending to be a man of “integrity” who is “fighting” corruption is getting worse by the day indicates that, in spite of self-righteous declarations to the contrary, Buhari is himself morally indistinguishable from his crooked cronies.

There is no point recalling Buhari’s overprotection of corrupt & disgraced former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal.Buhari actually wrote in his personal capacity to exonerate Lawal of corruption charges, but was later forced to eat his own vomit by firing him.To this day, Lawal hasn’t been prosecuted, is still a regular visitor to the Presidential Villa....


https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailytrust.com.ng/amplite/adeosun-s-nysc-certificate-is-as-fake-as-buhari-s-integrity-260912.html

On point.....



To the topic, until UWOs are actively used against the members of the higher PEP echelon, UK remains duplicitous on the matter and a willing accessory to crime here.

Needless to say, a repeat of the Far East Asian property fiasco is waiting to happen. The difference is they have nothing to lose so unwitting Naija will bear the brunt!



.

Ishilove:

It is high time Seun hires more people to moderate this forum. Comments like these have no place in civilised conversations because of their divisiveness and inherent primitiveness.

So you would prefer we keep quiet at the evils of the southerners while you guys keep blowing the trumpet against the herdsmen?

helinues:

I can see our ATM ancestor, Abacha is also a Southerner.
Eish

Abacha did not steal. He saved money for Nigeria at a time like this

Corruption in every sphere of this nation.
From the corrupt evil politicians to ordinary citizens, to private and public enterprises.

Corruption has eaten so effing deep into the core soul of this country.

There was a nation