PRESIDENTIAL AIDE DENIES APPROVAL OF $1BN ARMS PROCUREMENT

PRESIDENT BUHARI

The President, Muhammadu
Buhari has on Monday, denied the purported approval for the release of
$1 billion to the security agencies, for procurement of arms to combat insecurity in the country.

It would be recalled that penultimate Wednesday last week, Mansur Dan-Ali, the Minister of Defence, had, while addressing State House reporters last after President Muhammadu Buhari had met with security chiefs, said that the president approved the release of the fund, from the Excess Crude Account, for military equipment's purchase to fight insecurity.



It can.also berecalled that, following the disclosure, the legislators had kicked against such approval, insisting that there was no legislative backing to the approval.

However, a statement issued by Senator Ita Enang Buhari, Buhari's his Senior
Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters said the fund had not been
approved.

"The said sum has not and cannot be approved for spending by Mr. President", the presidential aide emphasised.

"The process of approving the money for use",  according to Senator Enang, "is still undergoing executive standard operating procedure before presenting same to the National Assembly for approval".

The President's Legislative aide said the fund could only be spent "upon and
in the manner as shall be approved by the National Assembly and assented to in an Appropriation Act or a supplementary Appropriation Act".

He emphasized that Buhari had not approved the sum for any release of the arms' procurement or application howsoever.

"Before any sum is released from the Consolidated Revenue Fund, there must be Appropriation Act, Vote of Charge and Warrant which is legally predicated on appropriation authorization sub-head under the Act", Enang stressed.

Of note, the said approval of $1bn for arms procurement without recourse to the National Assembly had generated so much controversy as many were envisaging a serious Executive-Legislature faceoff with the Senate President expressing great concerns of their inability to work seamlessly if such approvals would be done without the clearance of the NASS.