Osinbajo: $1b is Not For War Against Boko-Haram Alone

• Osinbajo discloses $1b ECA fund is not meant for Boko Haram fight alone.

• The money was approved to tackle other forms of insecurity in the country which includes cattle rustling, community policing, and herdsmen-farmers clashes.

Osinbajo explains how federal government intends to spend $1b ECA funds.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has on Tuesday clarified how the government intends to spend the $1bn to be withdrawn from the excess crude oil account as recently approved by the state governors.

He disclosed that the money was not meant to fight Boko Haram insurgency alone but will also be used to cater for all other security challenges in other states of the federation.

Osinbajo made the clarification at the opening of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation/Secretaries to State Governments’ retreat at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Recall that the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, Abdulaziz Yari, had, after the National Economic Council meeting last Wednesday, disclosed the governors had given approval for the federal government to withdraw $1bn from the excess crude account to fight insurgency.

The decision had sparked widespread criticisms from various quarters including the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose; and the Peoples Democratic Party.

But Osinbajo explained that the governors resolved to approve the money for national security after considering various security challenges across the country, including kidnapping, small arms trafficking, terrorist activities of Boko Haram in the North East, clashes between herdsmen and farmers, as well as cattle rustling.

The Vice-President said, “It was on account of the security summit that the governors at the Governors’ Forum subsequently decided that they would vote a certain sum of money, which has become somewhat controversial, the $1bn, to assist the security architecture of the country.

“It was to assist all of the issues in the states, including policing in the states, community policing, all of the different security challenges that we have.

“It was after the security summit that the Governors’ Forum met across party lines –again, I must add — in order to approve and to accept that this is what needed to be done to shore up our security architecture.”

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