US Deputy Secretary of State Campbell Lauds Foreign Ministry on Galactica Funds Repatriation

US Deputy Secretary of State Campbell Lauds Foreign Ministry on Galactica Funds Repatriation

JOEL OLADELE, Abuja

US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell has commended the Nigerian government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for its close collaboration in successfully repatriating funds linked to forfeited luxury real estate and the Galactica Star Superyacht.

According to a statement signed on Thursday by the Special Assistant on Media and Communication Strategy to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alkasim Abdulkadir, Campbell made the commendation during a valedictory telephone conversation with the Minister, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar and thanked him and his team.

The repatriation negotiations, the Deputy Secretary said, had made him a believer in the country. He further pledged the support and cooperation of the incoming Deputy Secretary of State.

Tuggar thanked him for his dedication to the process and steadfast determination to bring the repatriation to fruition.

The call addressed bilateral issues between the two countries, such as leveraging technology to turn digital assets like Binance into mutually beneficial opportunities for Nigeria to become a hub of data mining, data storage and artificial intelligence.

According to Tuggar, as energy producers, “Nigeria’s robust gas energy transition plans, like the African Atlantic gas pipeline traversing 15 African countries, can provide the requisite energy supply for crypto players and data miners. This has great potential, and we are counting on our allies like the United States and Morocco.

“Truly, Nigeria and the United States are going back to basics, back to strong values, and this is something we can build upon,” Tuggar added.

The repatriated funds will expand the Distributed Access Through Renewable Energy Scale-Up project through the Rural Electrification Agency (REA). The program is intended to increase access to electricity services in the country.