Buhari Still In Shocks Over ‘Sharing’ Of $2.1 Billion Arms Money

President Muhammadu Buhari has not yet recovered from the shock on how a few individuals sat down and shared $2.1 Billion meant for procurement of arms and ammunitions for the nation’s soldiers to prosecute the war against terrorists, represented by Boko Haram.
“People were entrusted and the most recent one which we haven’t recovered from is the $2.1 Billion (which) was given by the government then, to the military to buy hardware to fight the insurgency which had taken over part of the country. And they just sat just the way you are sitting now and shared the money into their own (bank) accounts. They didn’t even bother.”
President Buhari who addressed State House Press Corps at the Democracy Day Luncheon at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Monday, said that because of some legal technicalities, his government is pursuing the recovery of such money with caution.
“So we are still trying to get the cooperation of the international community and so on, and we have to do it with a lot of respect to the judiciary. We can’t go out and talk too much. We have to allow the judiciary to do their work.
“We give them the facts, the names, the countries and the bank accounts.
“If you talk too much, technicalities will come in. Then we will realize less than what we want to realize.
So please, when next you want to interrogate our visitors, try and do some research so that when they are coming next time, they will do research themselves.”
Narrating his experience before. And shortly he arrived at Aso Villa to take over the leadership, President Buhari noted that the experience of the staff, their commitment and zeal is different from what it is now, saying that 16 years in the life of a developing nation is a long time.
“When we came there were 42 ministries we cut it to 24.
This is where I pay my respect to former President Goodluck Jonathan. This is actually a privileged information for you. “He called me at a quarter past five in the evening. He said good evening your Excellency Sir, and I said good evening. He said, I have called to congratulate you that I have conceded deceit. Of course, there was dead silence at my end , because I did not expect it. I was shocked. I did not expect it because after 16 sixteen years: the man was a Deputy Governor, Governor, Vice President and was President for six years. For him to have conceded defeat even before the result was announced by INEC, I think it was quiet generous and gracious of him.
“Abdulsalam (Abubakar) recognized the generosity of Jonathan to concede deceit and said we should go and thank him immediately and that was the first time I came here (to Aso Rock).”
President Buhari said that when he came in he found out that government could not continue with 42 ministers and the paraphernalia of office so he cut it down to 24.
“We had to cut down half the number of permanent secretaries and then do some cross postings. The permanent secretaries that were there for the past five to seven years; the only thing that they know is how things were done in the previous years.” [myad]