Not one Dollar is missing from the one billion dollars taken from the Excess Crude Account (ECA) in Nigeria to buy arms for the military.
This is according to a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and a former Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Honourable Farouk Adamu Aliyu.
“When you talk about the $1 billion, politicians can say whatever they want to say. Part of the $1 billion, what was spent $592 million were paid for the 12 Tucano aircraft fighter jets we are buying from the United States,” he said during an interview on Channels Television’s Newsnight which aired on Monday.
“That has been paid 100 percent. Some of them, about six of them are arriving sometime in July. Work is ongoing in New Bussa where these aircraft are going to be domiciled. As I speak to you, more than 80 members of the Air Force are currently in training in the US so that they can come and man these aircraft.
“The company that is producing them are going to domicile their persons in this country for the training of our personnel for three years. Ammunitions are also bought all over the place, they are there. I assure you that not a single dollar is missing.”
READ ALSO: Insecurity: ‘Where Are The Arms We Bought For $1bn?’ – Wike Asks FG
Aliyu asked the National Assembly to call for a public hearing involving the Ministry of Finance to inform Nigerians of how the amount has been spent.
He also noted that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is a transparent government, noting that it is good people are asking questions about the money budgeted for arms purchase.
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 Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike regarding the purchase of the equipment, especially as insecurity has worsened since then.
Watch the full interview of Newsnight on Monday by 9 pm….