Daniel Otera
President Bola Tinubu has called on West African leaders to support the designation of resource theft, illegal mining, and mineral smuggling as international crimes, warning that such activities pose grave threats to regional peace, stability, and development.
The President, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, made the appeal in Abuja on Tuesday during the opening of the Annual General Meeting of the Network of National Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa (NACIWA).
President Tinubu lamented that despite decades of independence, the region’s economic and political progress remains undermined by corruption and the plundering of mineral resources.
He warned that proceeds from such theft not only deprive citizens of development benefits but also fuel insecurity, the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, banditry, and kidnapping across the region.
“West Africa’s post-independence economic and political trajectory is blighted by corruption, manifested in the theft and stashing of our commonwealth abroad by corrupt officials. Even now, illicit outflows remain an odious miasma. Stealing of mineral resources is on the rise in the region, fuelling the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, and other violent crimes such as kidnapping and banditry,” the President said.
“I believe that the time has come for us to designate resource theft, mining and stealing of minerals in the region as an international crime that threatens the stability of the region and galvanise the world against threats from stolen minerals from West Africa,” Tinubu added.
The President urged NACIWA delegates to examine the extractive sector critically, alongside financial intelligence sharing and anti-money laundering frameworks, to strengthen accountability across West Africa.
“I urge you all, in your deliberations, to critically examine the regional anti-money laundering frameworks, financial intelligence sharing mechanism, and accountability in the extractive sector across the region for a more prosperous and secure future,” he said.
Tinubu emphasised that no single country could win the battle against illicit financial flows, noting that the challenge requires a multi-state and multi-stakeholder platform to harmonise regional efforts against corruption and its manifestations.
Under Nigeria’s anti-corruption strategy, the President said his administration has prioritised tracing and recovery of stolen assets, introducing new legal frameworks for asset recovery and management.
He commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, led by Olanipekun Olukoyede, for its record in asset recovery, urging member countries to share lessons from such efforts.
Tinubu stated that his government remains committed to using recovered funds as “instruments of social inclusion.”
He disclosed that N100 billion recovered from crime proceeds has been injected into the Student Loan Scheme and Consumer Credit Scheme, describing both as legacy programmes aimed at improving access to education and easing financial pressure on citizens.
The President reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to ECOWAS and regional anti-corruption cooperation, stressing that a united approach remains essential to ending illicit financial flows and advancing good governance.
The call comes amid rising concerns about illegal mining and mineral smuggling across West Africa, particularly in gold-rich countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Mali.
Reports indicate that billions of dollars worth of minerals leave the region each year through unregulated channels, depriving governments of crucial revenue.
Tinubu’s proposal to treat resource theft as an international crime aligns with growing advocacy to classify environmental and economic crimes as offences of global concern.
In his remarks, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, urged West African nations to domesticate the ECOWAS Protocol on Corruption, saying this would ensure that corrupt officials find no safe haven within the subregion.
“Let us domesticate the ECOWAS Protocol on Corruption so that thieves find no hiding place,” Fagbemi said. “The child who says his mother will not sleep will also not sleep. So too, the corrupt who disturb the peace of nations must not find rest across borders.”
The minister proposed the establishment of an ECOWAS Regional Task Force on Asset Recovery, to be supported by NACIWA, to coordinate investigations and intelligence sharing amongst member states.
Fagbemi stressed the need to guarantee the independence and adequate funding of anti-corruption institutions, warning that underfunded agencies remain vulnerable to compromise.
“The goat eats where it is tied,” he said. “If we starve our institutions, they will be unable to resist corruption.”
The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, who also serves as President of NACIWA, said the fight against corruption in West Africa must be viewed within the broader context of political stability and social justice.
“Distinguished colleagues, we must acknowledge the evolving landscape in which our institutions operate. Political transitions, security concerns, and governance challenges across several member states underscore that our fight against corruption cannot be divorced from broader considerations of political stability, institutional integrity and social justice,” he said.