Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has asked the Federal Government to provide answers to the $1 billion dollars that was withdrawn from the Excess Crude Account to purchase arms for the fight against insecurity.
Speaking during a recent
interview on Channels Television’s Newsnight which
aired on Monday, the governor asked President Muhammadu Buhari to hold
officials accountable for their actions.
The National Economic Council
had on December 15, 2017 agreed to utilise $1billion
from Nigeria’s excess crude account to tackle Boko Haram
insurgency and other security challenges.
The meeting which was chaired by
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had the 36 state governors in attendance and it
came as the state governors pledged to support the Federal Government to rid
the North East of the insurgents.
Four years after, several questions
have been raised by many, including Governor Wike regarding the purchase of the
equipment, especially as insecurity has worsened since then.
“I remember there was a time
when $1 billion was taken from the Excess Crude Account to provide for
security. Where is the equipment that we bought,” Wike questioned.
“If I should release that money
as the Chief Security Officer, knowing how Nigeria is, I will make sure that
those weapons and the right ones were bought.”
The governor also reacted to the
decision of the House of Representatives to summon the Chief of Army Staff,
Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru and the Governor of the Central Bank of
Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, over the procurement of arms.
He also faulted the response of
the army chief over the arms purchase during his appearance before the lower
chamber.
Wike added, “I was surprised
when I was watching the television when the House of Representatives invited
the Chief of Army Staff about the purchase of weapons and he said ‘look, you
know the right people to ask.
“You have to take leadership.
Even if those who were at the helms of affairs of security, the onus is on you,
you can still summon them back. ’”
Wike’s remarks come about three
weeks after a tension ensued between the as some tension between the House
ad-hoc committee on arms and ammunition, and the COAS following the
investigation into arms purchase by the military.
Things took a different turn
when the Chief of Army Staff, refused to speak further on a document which he
had presented to the committee, asking the committee instead to review the
documents which he considered self-explanatory.
The Chief of Army Staff insisted
that he had barely settled into office and is definitely not the right person
to speak on arms and ammunition purchased by his predecessors.
“Issues of arms procurement that
you so demand to know were done by specific individuals, I will rather you call
these individuals to explain to you very specific issues the general
explanation is contained in this report,” the COAS told the lawmakers.
He added, “The submission before
you speaks to the report before you. It is an executive summary. It is very
self-explanatory to the extent that it has been pluralised. When you demanded
this report, you stated a specific period for which you wanted it.
“You may wish to recall that the
Chief of Army Staff took over the mantle of leadership barely two months ago.
“The period for which you want
this report having been summarised in the executive summary explained whatever
details you require.”
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