Jonathan Abused the Public Trust - Buhari Speaks Out on Arms Deal Scandal

President Muhammadu Buhari has given his opinion on the arms deal scandal that has sent shocking waves among Nigerians in recent times.

 

President Muhammadu Buhari last night accused former President Goodluck Jonathan of breaching public trust in the procurement of arms through the Office of the National Security Adviser for the prosecution of the war against Boko Haram.

ThisDay reports that Buhari made the disclosure when he hosted members of the House of Representatives to dinner yesterday at the old banquet hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

L-R (Deputy Seaker, House of Representatives, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, President Muhammadu Buhari and Speaker Yakubu Dogara at the dinner)

The president stated that it was unfortunate that billions of naira and hundreds of dollars were expended on military equipment which could not be verified.

He said: “I decided to host this dinner to thank you so far. We still have a long way to go. There are a lot of rubicons to be crossed, but let’s be very clear about our objectives.

“We have already set our priorities right during our campaigns to secure the country then efficiently manage it.

“Securing the country is obviously dealing decisively with Boko haram. When we came in, the military leadership had to be removed and reconstituted, a new set put in with a clear target to reorganise, retrain, re-equip and make sure that Boko haram is uprooted and neutralised.

“We had some good intentions while the joint task force comprising the Lake Chad Basin Commission countries of Cameroun, Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Benin, because of good neighbourliness, decided to join us.

“There was an agreement to dedicate a number of troops to be cited in different places in the Lake Chad Basin area so that by the end of the rainy season, an aggressive attack will be unleashed on Boko haram.

“But we are realistic to know that Nigeria is the battleground. So we expended the meagre resources we have to ensure that the morale of the military is raised by getting officers to be on the ground with the men.

“But unfortunately for us as a people, we discovered that the billions of naira and hundreds of millions of dollars that were supposed to be expended by the previous government to acquire good equipment and ammunition for the military, there was an abuse of trust at various levels that cost Nigeria a lot of lives and goodwill.

“On this we cannot keep quiet and it is coming out gradually. It is very unfortunate.

 

The president’s remarks came on the heels of an order by the Federal High Court in Abuja remanding the Chairman of Daar Communications Plc, owner of African Independent Television (AIT) and Raypower radio station, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) pending the determination of his bail application today.