Atiku Bagudu, governor of Kebbi, accused of money laundering in the Pandora Papers exposé, says governors of the All Progressives Congress would work to strengthen capacities for job creation and poverty reduction.

Mr Bagudu, the chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF), gave the assurance in a statement to Governor Muhammad Yahaya of Gombe on his 60th birthday.

The PGF is an umbrella body of all serving governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“As we rejoice with Gov. Muhammad Yahaya, we also reaffirmed our collective commitment to implementing programmes that would strengthen the capacities of our progressive states to create jobs, stimulate economic activity, reduce inequality and diminish poverty in Nigeria,” he said.

Earlier in the week, a Premium Times report exposed how Mr Bagudu has been hiding billions of dollars he amassed as a bagman to late military ruler, Sani Abacha in offshore tax havens.

The outlet reported the infraction as part of its series on Nigerian elites in a collaboration with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.

ActionAid, a global body working to free the world from poverty and injustice, on Thursday, called on governments in all jurisdictions “to stop crooks setting up companies to hide wealth in tax havens”.

The body said an estimated £179 million flighted from Nigeria in the last three decades into offshore tax havens and posh properties abroad could have been better put to use in the country to abridge the poverty gap and enhance common prosperity for the masses.

(NAN)