Micheal Oladejo, Ibadan
The allocation of $1 billion from the Excess Crude Accounts, ECA, to address threats from Boko Haram and other conflict issues in the country is not too much in the light of continued threats against lives and property, the Federal Government has said.
Speaking in defence of the approval of $1 billion from the Excess Crude Account by the Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF, the Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Alhaji Lai Mohammed cautioned that issues pertaining to the security of the country must not be put on the altar of politics, noting that the ruling party was itself also once in opposition and was itself careful on those issues.
Mohammed, who addressed newsmen in Lagos, affirmed that the $1 billion would also be applied towards addressing other security threats, including illegal oil bunkering, kidnapping and cattle rustling.
He said, “Had the military been better equipped to tackle Boko Haram in the early days of the insurgency, thousands of lives, including those of our service men and women, could have been saved; the war could have been over a long time ago.
He however noted that, If the funds meant to equip the military have not been diverted into private pockets, there may be no need today to withdraw any money from the ECA for that purpose.
