The Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, says the recovery agents engaged by his office are institutional recovery agents for the federal government.
Dr Umar Gwandu, Special Assistant to the Minister on Media and Public Relations made the clarification in a statement on Friday in Abuja.
“Malami in his personal capacity does not have any personal debt collectors for the recovery of federal government debts.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the office of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice does not engage recovery agents based on personal gratification or individual’s inclinations’’.
He said that none of those engaged by the Federal Government in the recovery of assets and generation of revenues belonging to the government work for “Malami”, as mischievously portrayed in some media.
“They belong to the Federal Government of Nigeria through the instrumentality of the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
“Such engagements were purely based on the interest of the general public, as a guiding principle’’.
The Minister reiterated that engagement of recovery agents was neither propelled by any ulterior motive nor any personal desire.
Nor was it for any personal benefit accruing to anyone, but by an unflinching patriotic commitment to get back for the country the revenue that belongs to it.
“It is the same Federal Government that engaged the Trobell in the recovery of the unpaid Federal Government revenue that asked the agency to step down based on stakeholders’ decision.”
