By Dwelleth Morountodun
Worried with the over $50 billion illicit financial flow out of Nigeria and other African countries, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in collaboration with the Inter-agency committee on stopping such illegal flow have concluded arrangement to build capacity of negotiators for improved terms of engagement toward mitigating such drain.
Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo SAN, and Prof. Melaku Desta, a Professor of International Economic Law from the Leicester De Montfort University in United Kingdom (UK) have been billed be part of a two-day physical and virtual capacity building for Nigerian negotiators which begins on Monday
The ICPC Chairman, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, SAN, in a statement signed by the Spokesperson for ICPC, Mrs. Azuka Ogugua, on his behalf acknowledged that the participants for the capacity building are senior and middle-level negotiators drawn from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the government, who are involved in negotiating trade agreements with foreign nations and companies for Nigeria.
Vice President Osinbajo will give an opening address at the capacity building for the Nigerian negotiators while Prof. Desta will deliver a paper on “Understanding Trade Agreements”.
Owasanoye, explained that the capacity building is aimed at equipping Nigerian negotiators for improved terms of engagement and mitigating IFFs.
“The idea of the training is to sensitise negotiators on the type of clauses to look out for to protect the laws of the country and prevent Nigeria from losing revenue through Illicit Financial Flows.
“The capacity building will help our negotiators prepare for the risks associated with negotiating trade, investment, tax, natural resource, and environmental agreements for the country,” he said.
The ICPC boss disclosed that the first day of the training of negotiators would be a virtual zoom meeting while five breakout sessions would be held on the second day of the capacity building at the NAF Conference Centre in Abuja.
Among the resource persons expected at the two-day negotiators’ capacity building are the Chairman of the Inter-Agency Committee on Stopping Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs) from Nigeria, Dr. Adeyemi Dipeolu; Executive Secretary of Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Ms. Yewande Sadiku; Deputy Chief of Staff to the President (Office of the Vice President), Ade Ipaye; a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University of Law, Prof. Dayo Ayoade, and acting Director of Department for Climate Change in the Federal Ministry of Environment, Mrs. Halima Bawa-Bwari.
Coordinating the breakout sessions of the capacity building on Tuesday are Ms. Patricia Okala, Legal Adviser of NIPC (Investment Negotiations); Prof. Jonathan Aremu, an International Trade Consultant (Trade Negotiations); Mr. Mathew Olusanya, Coordinating Director of Tax Operations Group, Federal Inland Revenue Service (Tax Negotiations); Prof. Dayo Ayoade, an Environmental Law and Energy Policy Expert (Natural Resource Negotiations), and Dr. Priscilla Achakpa, Special Adviser to the Minister of State for Environment (Environment Negotiations).