The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has blamed the Nigerian elites for the arms procurement scandal that has rocked the country, starting from the past administration. According to his verdict: “the elites have so far failed the nation.”

Vice President Osinbajo spoke today while delivering a paper at the National Defence College, Abuja, for Course 24 participants titled `”The Economic Dimensions of National Security: The Nigerian Experience.”
He regretted that the grand corruption, rent-seeking, promotion of ethnic and religious differences for personal gains appear to have been the prevailing behavior of the elite.

He wondered how one could explain the diversion of funds meant for arms procurement to fight insurgency to private pockets as well as why the actors failed to bother that their avarice and greed led to loss of lives of ill equipped federal troops.
The Vice President said that the solution is on the revitalization and revival of the nation’s defence industries as well as linkages to the economy, saying that the country should reduce dependence on other nations as well as learn from the experiences of some.
“We should not allow situation to arise again in which we as a nation are unable to source the arms, even the most basic arms, with which to prosecute a war.
“For our nation to survive we must insist that the Nigerian elite accepts its responsibility to make the sacrifice necessary. We must ensure that there are consequences for corruption; that we insist on integrity in the conduct of public and private business.

“We must resist the urge to divide our nation along ethnic of religious lines and we must hold ourselves accountable for the future of our nation. We must choose the path of discipline and honour.”
Osinbajo identified key aspects of the economic dimension of national security as the use of economic policy to foster national cohesion as well as foster national economic development and stability.
“We will continue to have challenges to national security if our citizens do not have a common commitment to the national interest.  If significant sectors of our society feel marginalized or that their interests are not being properly catered for then we can expect threats to national security arising from divisive tendencies. In such circumstances, economic disaffection could emerge in various forms including class tensions, ethnic and religious divisions and low-level insurgencies.”
According to him, government in such circumstances should use economic policies to build a fair and equitable society by tackling poverty, inequality and providing jobs and economic opportunities.
Osinbajo said the Muhammadu Buhari administration is set to achieve the objectives by the provision of several social security nets worth more than half a trillion naira in the 2016 budget and measures for employment of 500,000 teachers.

He decried the manner in which the previous budgets of the country were formulated to the exclusion of the interests of the poor and the vulnerable.

He noted that while the bulk of the 2016 budget would take care of infrastructure, the single most important aspect is that the budget is giving social investment incentives in the form of direct employment. [myad]

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered an investigation into the abduction of the 219 female students of the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State on April 14 2014.

A statement by the senior special assistant to the President on media and publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu today said that the panel to investigate the incident will soon be named by the National Security Adviser (NSA), retired General Babagana Munguno.

Garba Shehu said that the investigation will seek to, among other things, unravel the remote and immediate circumstances leading the kidnap of the girls by Boko Haram terrorists as well the other events, actions and inactions that followed the incident.

“This came to light just as the President, in Abuja, assured parents of the Chibok girls that  he has been doing his best and will continue to do everything possible ​to rescue them and re-unite them with their families.

“Speaking at a meeting attended by some parents of the abducted girls, representatives of the Chibok community and members of the Bring Back Our Girls movement at the Conference Hall of the State House, President Buhari said that he remained fully committed to his pledge to do all within his powers to save the girls.

“I assure you that I go to bed and wake up every day with  the Chibok girls on my mind.

“The unfortunate incident happened before this government came into being.

“What have we done since we assumed office? We re-organized the military, removed all the service chiefs and ordered the succeeding service chiefs to deal decisively with the Boko Haram insurgency.

“In spite of the terrible economic condition we found ourselves in, we tried to get some resources to give to the military to reorganize and  equip, retrain, deploy more troops and move more forcefully against Boko Haram.

“And you all know the progress we have made. When we came in Boko Haram was in Adamawa, Yobe and Borno. Boko Haram has now been reduced to areas around Lake Chad.

“Securing the Chibok girls is my responsibility. The service chiefs and heads of our security agencies will tell you that in spite of the dire financial straits that we  found the country in, I continue to do my best to support their efforts in that regard.

“This is a Nigeria where we were exporting average of two million barrels per day at over 140 dollars per barrel. Now it is down to about 27 to 30 dollars.

“You have been reading in the press how they took public funds, our funds, your funds and shared it, instead of buying weapons. That was the kind of leadership I succeeded. That was the kind of economy I inherited.

“God knows I have done my best and I will continue to do my best,” President Buhari said.

The President was accompanied by the Minister of Defence, Mansur Mohammed Dan Ali, Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Aisha Alhassan, Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Gabriel Olonisakin, Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen Tukur Buratai and the National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd).

In his remarks, the Chief of Defence staff told the meeting that in the last three months the military has liberated more than 3000 people kidnapped by Boko Haram in the North eastern part of the country.

He said that the military had the ability to  rescue the Chibok girls, but added that “intelligence is delicate and we don’t want to ​do anything to jeopardize the lives of the girls.”  [myad]

“The Federal Government of Nigeria, led by President Muhammadu Buhari is only fighting Sambo Dasuki. Should the fight against corruption begin and end with Dasuki? Is he the only corrupt person?”

These were the questions posed by Tanko Yakasai, who himself, has been roped into the arms deal scandal, as he was alleged to have benefitted from the alleged sharing of the $2.1 Billion by Dasuki.

Yakasai, who is the chairman of the Northern Elders’ Council (NEC) accused President Buhari administration of open disdain for valid court orders relating to the former National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Colonel Sambo Dasuki and others that are being held. \

According to him, the anti-corruption efforts of President Buhari administration are a mere propaganda war.

Yakasai said that up till now, Buhari government has not even started the case against Dasuki in the court, adding that he was granted bail twice and they refused to let him go.

“This is not a fight against corruption. It is a propaganda fight. They even convinced people like Professor Wole Soyinka who now believes that there is a fight against corruption, but there is no such thing. Otherwise, how many people have they arrested?

“All the people that are arrested today are connected with Dasuki. No other person has been picked. What of the governors, ministers, top civil servants and local government officials? Can you fight one person and say you are fighting corruption?” he queried. [myad]

National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh, has been hit by a court case instituted against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) even as a Federal High Court Abuja dismissed his application seeking to abridge time for the hearing of his fundamental rights enforcement suit.
His lawyer, Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN), filed the suit to challenge the continuous detention of his client without a formal charge.
At the hearing of the suit, Adedipe made an oral application for abridge of time to expedite hearing of the substantive suit.
He said his client was arrested on January 5 and the EFCC has been holding him without the leave of Court.
Adedipe said Metuh’s rights are being violated without recourse to the extant provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
He urged the court to stand the case down till 2pm to allow EFCC file its reply.
The EFCC lawyer, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), opposed the application.
Jacobs said: “My Lord, we are opposed to the ingenuity of the counsel to the applicant to deny us fair hearing.
“We were just served with the process this morning.
“So standing the matter down till 2pm as prayed will be most unfair.
“I urge the Court to dismiss such attempt and allow us the benefit of the five days allowed by the rules of the Court to file our response.”
In a short ruling, Justice Abang Okon held that the rules of the court do not allow for such benefit as requested by the applicant.
Okon said: “The substantive application for the enforcement of fundamental rights was filed by the applicant on January 8.
“The suit was assigned to this Court on January 12 and the respondent was served on January 13.
“We are always guided by the rules of the Court and, therefore, the respondent deserves the right to a mandatory five days within which to file response.
“In the light of this, the prayer for the abridgement of time in order to hear the substantive application today is hereby dismissed.
“The respondent is given up to January 19 to file response.
“The matter is hereby adjourned till January 20 for hearing.”
The judge, however, said the applicant’s prayer might have been considered if the respondent was not opposed to it.
Speaking to newsmen after the session, Jacobs said the EFCC has not violated the rights of Metuh and he would soon be arraigned.
Jacobs said: “Already, a formal charge has been filed against Metuh and he will soon be arraigned.
“On the backdrop of public criticisms, Metuh is held in detention up till now on the strength of a leave of Court.
“We believe in the rule of law and interplay of justice.”
On his part, Adedipe insisted that the EFCC is holding his client without the leave of Court.

Meanwhile the Metuh, who was picked up at his Abuja residence on January 5, was today, arraigned before Justice Okon Abang of the Court 10, Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja.

The PDP spokesman was arraigned by the EFCC for allegedly collecting about N400 million from the former National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Colonel Sambo Dasuki, from the money alleged to be part of the $2.1 billion arms procurement fund, a charge to which he pleaded not guilty.

Metuh had before his arrest, agreed that he collected an undisclosed sum of money from former President Goodluck Jonathan, in order to carry out some assignment  as the spokesperson for the then ruling PDP. [myad]

The United Kingdom has announced that about 40 of its war experts will soon arrive Nigeria to train Nigerian soldiers that are fighting Boko Haram, especially in the North East.

A statement from the Press and Public Affairs Officer of the British High Commission, Joe Abuku said: “More than 35 personnel from the Second Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment (2 R ANGLIAN), will be shortly deployed to deliver infantry training to Nigerian military personnel preparing to tackle the extremist group in the north of the country.

“The 2 R ANGLIAN, based in Cottesmore, Rutland, provided support to the Armed Forces Nigeria throughout 2015, which included the deployment of Short Term Training Teams, and support to smaller training tasks to assist the resident British Military Advisory and Training Team – which has grown in size over the last year.

“Around 130 UK military personnel were deployed to Nigeria on a wide range of training tasks last year.

“This included training in infantry skills, civil-military affairs, media operations, command and leadership, IED-awareness, and support to Nigerian military training schools and establishments.

“Almost 1,000 Nigerian military personnel have benefited from training to prepare them for counter-insurgency operations in northeast Nigeria, and the work by 2 R ANGLIAN, known as The Poachers, is now well-recognized across the AFN.

“The UK also supports a Nigerian intelligence and analysis cell focused on the northeast and based in Abuja, and nearly 30 UK Armed Forces personnel are deployed in Nigeria on an enduring basis in training and advisory roles.” [myad]