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By Godwin Etakibuebu
Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, while briefing journalists at the Presidential Villa on Thursday 14, 2017, told Nigerians that the National Economic Council [NEC] has approved One Billion US Dollars, to be taken from the Excess Crude Account, to the President to enable him fight the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East. This is how he presented the matter.
“The governors of Nigeria through their chairman announced at the NEC meeting that the governors had given permission to the Federal Government to spend the sum of US$1 billion in the fight of insurgency”. He went further to explain which of the many accounts of the federation the money is being drawn from and the specifics of its utilisation.
“This money is supposed to be taken from the Excess Crude Account.” Explaining further, he said, “We expect that the amount will include but not be limited to purchase of equipment, procuring intelligence, logistics and all what is required to ensure that we finally put to an end the scourge of insurgency.” There are issues arising from this revelation.
One of the issues, and which is germane, is the legality of the National Economic Council; though a creation of the Nigerian Constitution, in carrying out appropriation of fund for the usage of the Federal Government without going through the National Assembly [which is so invested by law with such powers and functions]. If the NEC is not legally backed by law to carry out functions relating to appropriation, what it therefore approved to the President can only remain a function in futility and nullity.
It is not in my place to delve into full details of the argument in this work as Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe; the spokesperson for the 8th Senate, is already challenging NEC action. “Only the NASS [National Assembly] can appropriate funds for the Federal Government. Recall that when President Jonathan wanted funds to fight Boko Haram, he approached the NASS,” Senator Abaribe was quoted as saying.
By approving or “given permission to the federal Government to spend the sum of US$1 billion in the fight of insurgency” [using the exact words of the governors’ spokesperson] the Nigerian Governors Forum [NGF]; a very powerful and influential Association not known to the Nigerian Constitution, has gone deeper into its usual malfeasance, mostly in usurping the functions and powers of the National Assembly.
Another issue arising from the “abnormal appropriation” of US$1 Billion to the President is the reason why the money is approved. According to the Governors, it is to enable the President prosecute the war against Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East. This is where the matter becomes more interesting.
Which Boko Haram war are we still fighting in the North-East that the governors are “appropriating” money for? Nigerians need an answer to this question because facts about this Boko Haram war as given to us by the President is that we have won the war. Maybe we need to review the report-card of the “last battle” of the war on Boko Haram insurgency presented to us by the President towards the ending of December 2016.
The Nigerian Army [NA] hosted the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to a Guards Brigade Regimental Dinner on the night of Friday, December 29, 2016, and on that particular occasion, something significantly in the annals of Nigerian history happened. The Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Lucky Irabor, handed over to the President “spoils of war” captured from the last battle of the long war waged against Boko Haram in the North-East.
The two “spoils of war” handed over to the President that night were the “Flag of Boko Haram and the personal Koran of Abubakar Shekau” [the notorious leader of the insurgents]; a man that defied death in the hands of the Nigerian Military many times, even till date. These two items were captured at the “last battle in Sambisa forest”, so claimed the military and that appropriately brought the war against Boko Haram to a conclusive end. This must have prompted the President to announce the “technical defeat of Boko Haram”. Let us listen to the President at that moment of ecstasy in victory.
“I was told by the Chief of Army Staff that the camp fell at about 1.35 pm on Friday and that the terrorists are on the run and lo longer have a place to hide. The capture of the camp marked the official crushing of Boko Haram terrorists in their last enclave in Sambisa forest”.
With these words, the President declared with finality that Boke Haram had been “technically defeated”, and this has remained the message the President and all his men have taken round the world – total defeat of Boko Haram. Whatever the interpretation and meaning of “technical defeat”, as pronounced by the President, became a non-issue to the world community.
Yet, it is not that people did not know that defeat of Boko Haram as announced by the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces was a fallacy. Yes, they knew that it was a big deceit, but they were unable to comprehend the reason why the President would be too economical with the truth on the Boko Haram issue. The Nigerian people however chose to wait; knowing fully that time would reveal the truth.
Could it be that the President’s war commanders told him lies about the capture of a “Zero Camp, in Sambisa forest” that brought the war to an end? If that was what happened, couldn’t President Buhari; a tested and proved man of war, a refined soldier of repute, not have known the truth about fake report and rejected the so-called “final victory” there and then when it was presented to him? Or could it be that it was the President himself, in conspiracy with his war commanders that decided on telling us what he told us about “a non-existing victory?”
The reason for this evaluation is not far-fetched because information coming out of the North-East speaks of ongoing brutal war by Boko Haram against the Nigerian State, which remains just as fierce as the day the President made the announcement of “victory”. The Sambisa forest, said to have been cleared of Boko Haram [where the captured flag and Koran in the last battle of the war was recorded] by the Nigerian military remains a major theatre of war, as ferocious as ever still.
For the records, Boko Haram invaded some communities in Borno State a few days ago, killed some soldiers and carted away military equipment. This forced the new Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Rogers Nicholas, to issue stern warning to officers of 22 Brigade in Dikwa and 112 Task-Force Battalion in Mafa that “I cannot tolerate loss of men and equipment to Boko Haram anymore”. That warning did not sound like “official crushing of Boko Haram terrorists in their last enclave in Sambisa forest”; the President’s language in December, 2016.
Yes, there is an ongoing battle between the Nigerian-State and the Boko Haram but this is unofficial because the official version of the situation is the one we got from the President since December, last year – end of hostilities because the enemy has been defeated. Until the President tells us otherwise, we shall always stick to the official version – defeat of Boko Haram.
In view of this, which Boko Haram would the President need a whopping sum of US$1 Billion to fight again, having defeated same on the night of Friday, December 29, 2016, according to his own statement?
It is either the US$1 Billion is on transit to the “land of stealing” [which is very usual in Nigeria], which of course, we must resist by all legal means, or the war against Boko Haram never ended when somebody told us that it [Boko Haram] has been defeated. Whichever way, somebody somewhere is telling us lies about the destination of the money or the end of Boko Haram war.
And it is only President Muhammadu Buhari that can tell us the exact truth. Sir, have we defeated Boko Haram or not? If we did according to your pronouncement of December 2016, where are you taking our US$1 Billion to?
Godwin Etakibuebu, a veteran journalist, wrote from Lagos.