PDP TO BUHARI: Tell Nigerians what you did with $1bn taken from ECA for security

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately explain to Nigerians what his government did with $1 billion drawn from the Excess Crude Account (ECA) in 2017 for security purposes.

PDP was responding to alleged confession by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Gen. Babagana Mongunu (rtd), that he is not aware of the whereabouts or disbursement of the money.

The money was approved in December 2017, and was meant to be used to purchase weapons to fight insurgency in North East, address issues of killings, kidnappings and banditry in parts of the federation.

In a statement this Sunday by its national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP argued that the supposed confession by the NSA, who coordinates the security architecture of the nation, directly places a huge burden on President Buhari’s doorsteps over reported “stealing and diversion of funds” meant for security, while insurgency, banditry, killings and kidnapping fester in the land under his watch.

“The revelation by NSA further vindicates the PDP on our initial alarm that the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration is overtly corrupt, deceptive and unreliable in the handling the affairs of our nation.

“It further validates the stance of the PDP that agents of the Buhari Presidency and the APC were hiding under the guise of security to siphon the $1 billion from the ECA. This, perhaps, informed the desperation by the cabal to draw from the account without recourse to statutory due process of appropriation by the National Assembly.

“From Gen. Mongunu’s confession, Nigerians can further see why our nation is daily confronted with disturbing videos and reports of our fighting troops protesting their neglect and inadequate equipping, leading to their vulnerability in the fronts.

“Now that the National Security Adviser has declared that he is not aware of the whereabouts of funds, the burden, straightaway, lies squarely on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately address the nation on how the money was handled.

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“This is especially as there are already allegations in the public space that certain funds meant for security were diverted for 2019 campaign activities of the APC while our troops languished in the front.

“Our party had always alerted Nigerians that the APC administration was insincere in the handling of the ECA fund leading to our demand in 2017 for the National Assembly to investigate the handling of the $1 billion,” the statement read in part.

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