Trump asked to press Buhari on list of corrupt officials and ban them from entering the US

PRESIDENT Donald Trump has been urged by Nigeria's Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (Serap) to confront President Muhammadu Buhari over his refusal to publish the list of corrupt officials with a view to banning them from entering the US.

Today, the two presidents meet in Washington DC after President Buhari flew to the US at the invitation of President Trump, who suggested they get together to discuss matters of mutual interest. Ahead of the meeting, Serap wrote to President Trump asking him to task the Nigerian leader on the pervasive corruption at the heart of the insecurity, under-development and extreme poverty in the country.

Serap executive Adetokunbo Mumuni, said: “Serap hopes that you will exercise your constitutional powers to promote transparency and accountability and reduce corruption in Nigeria. The Presidential proclamation 7750 of January 12, 2004 underscores the importance of legitimate and transparent public institutions to world stability, peace, and development.”

“This proclamation notes the serious negative effects that corruption in countries like Nigeria has on the United States efforts to promote security and to strengthen democratic institutions and free market systems and reiterates the importance to the US and the international community of fighting corruption. Significantly, proclamation 7750 underscores that it is in the interests of the United States to act to restrict the international travel and to suspend the entry into the US, as immigrants or non-immigrants, of certain persons who have committed, participated in, or are beneficiaries of corruption in the performance of public functions. "

It is not yet clear id the US will react to the letter but Serap wants Washington to press President Buhari to publish the list of all corrupt persons in Nigeria in both the present and previous government. It also wants President trump to deny all such persons access to the US along with their family members and friends.

Serap wants President Trump to use his constitutional powers under the Presidential Proclamation 7750 to instruct the US secretary of state to temporarily ban those named on the list from entering the US, pending the final determination of the cases against them. In particular, Serap wants President Trump to clamp down hard on those indicted for allegedly stealing public funds worth $2bn meant for the purchase of 12 helicopters, four fighter jets and ammunition meant for the fight against Boko Haram.