Stop playing politics with lives of Nigerians – Presidency defends $1bn security fund

Femi Adesina

Presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina says those criticizing President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval of one billion dollars for security funding are only playing politics with the lives of Nigerians.

DAILY POST recalls that President Buhari had approved the fund during a meeting with the Minister of Defence, Brigadier General Mansur Dan-Ali (rtd), and the service chiefs on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. 

Governor Fayose, on his part, alleged that the approval was a clever move by the All Progressives Congress (APC) led government to raise funds to finance the 2019 presidential election and the July 14 governorship poll in Ekiti.

Similarly, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday condemned the presidential approval of the one billion dollars without recourse to the National Assembly.

Responding to criticisms, Femi Adesina, Buhari’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, who spoke on Channels Tv, Thursday night said that proper procedures for the release of the fund were being followed.

He dismissed reports that the amount was too huge to be spent only on security matters, saying no individual or government could quantify the value of human lives.

He said: “As we speak now the communication to the National Assembly is about ready. Those who have been flexing muscles over the matter should just have bothered to make inquiries from the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly matters.

“If they had inquired, they would have been told that the communication would soon be on the way to the National Assembly.

“Talking about the timing, there is no timing that is not good for security. Every time is security time. Those who are reading political meaning into it is just unfortunate they play politics with everything and they will play politics with the very lives of Nigerians, which is very bad.’

“It is not something that I think any government could begin to disclose. But we know that it is expensive. I remember that the Chief of Army Staff spoke about some trillions of naira recently – security is expensive but human life is much, much expensive.’’

Source: Daily Post