NSA Denies Indicting Ex-Service Chiefs In Missing Army Procurement Funds
The National Security Adviser (NSA) to the President, Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd), has denied indicting the immediate past Service Chiefs in the missing army procurement funds.
The NSA, while speaking on a BBC Hausa Service programme, had reportedly accused the immediate past Service Chiefs of squandering funds allocated for the purchase of arms to fight terrorists and bandits.
The former Service Chiefs are the then Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.
President Muhammadu Buhari had, last January, removed and replaced them with General Leo Irabor (Chief of Defence Staff); Lt General Ibrahim Attahiru (Chief of Army Staff); Rear Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo (Chief of Naval Staff); and Air Marshal Isiaka O. Amao (Chief of Air Staff).
However, Major General Monguno, in statement from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), claimed that he was quoted out of context and declared that he did not say the army procurement funds were missing under the former Service Chiefs.
“The attention of the Office of the National Security Adviser has been drawn to some media reports regarding Armed Forces equipment during an interview with the BBC Hausa Service.
“We would like to state that the NSA was quoted out of context as he did not categorically say that funds meant for arms procurement were missing under the former Service Chiefs, as reported or transcribed by some media outlets from the BBC interview.
“During the interview, the National Security Adviser only reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to deal decisively with insecurity and stated President Muhammadu Buhari’s continued commitment to provide all necessary support to the Armed Forces, including the provision of arms and equipment.
“In the interview, the National Security Adviser clearly informed the BBC reporter that Mr President has provided enormous resources for arms procurement, but the orders were either inadequate or yet to be delivered and that did not imply that the funds were misappropriated under the former Service Chiefs.
“The NSA also informed the reporter that, Mr President is following up on the procurement process as is usual with contracts relating to military equipments, in most cases the process involves manufacturing, due diligence and tedious negotiations that may change delivery dates.
“As the National Security Adviser conveyed during the Aso Villa Media Briefing, questions relating to Defence procurement should be channelled to the Ministry of Defence.
“All security and Intelligence agencies are working together to bring an end to insecurity with the full support of Mr. President and stakeholders, including the media and civil society, as part of a whole-of-government and a whole-of-society approach to address our security challenges,” the statement read.
Speaking in a BBC Hausa Service programme on the issue of banditry and insecurity in the country, monitored by PRNigeria, Monguno was quoted to have said even the new Service Chiefs have confirmed that they could not find anything on the ground with regards to the arms purchased for the war against insecurity.
In the audio translated from Hausa to English by PRNigeria, Monguno defended President Buhari for providing enough resources for tackling insecurity in the country, but that some of the setbacks could be blamed on the immediate service chiefs.
“It is not reluctance in handling the bandits, the President of the Federal Republic has done his utmost best by releasing huge funds for procurement of arms but they were not purchased. We couldn’t see anything on ground.
“Now the president has brought in new hands who may have a different approach. I am not saying the former Service Chiefs embezzled the arms money, but it is a fact that money budgeted for that purpose has been misappropriated and no one can account for it,” said Monguno.
When asked if the misappropriation has been investigated, the NSA reportedly said: “the President will surely investigate it. As I am talking to you, even the governors in their (Governors’) Forum have started complaining that billions of dollars have been allocated for security yet nothing on the ground. I can assure you that the President will not take this lightly.”
Asked further to confirm if the arms money was embezzled by the former Service Chiefs, Monguno said: “I can’t say for now since it is subject to investigations which will reveal the facts of the matter.
“But it is certain that the money has been misappropriated and they cannot be accounted for and the new Service Chiefs have confirmed that they haven’t seen anything on ground to justify the allocated funds. Nothing is on the ground as I am speaking to you now.”
