Purchase of Fighter Aircraft: NEC defends Buhari, says action in national interest

The National Economic Council on Thursday defended President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to purchase fighter aircraft from the United States without National Assembly approval.
The National Economic Council at its 83rd meeting in 2017 had approved one billion dollars to be sourced from the country’s excess crude account for the fight against insurgency and other violent criminal activities across the country.
The Minister of Defence, retired Brig.-Gen. Mansur Dan-Ali on April 4 revealed that President Buhari had granted assent for the release of the one billion dollars fund for the procurement of security equipment to fight insecurity in the country.
Dan-Ali disclosed this when he spoke to State House correspondents after a security meeting involving President Buhari, heads of security agencies and Service Chiefs which was held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Senate on Thursday accused President Buhari of spending $496 million (out of the approved $1billion) on acquiring aircraft without the National Assembly approval, and hence called for his impeachment.
Senator Matthew Uroghide had moved the motion, claiming that President Buhari’s action was a violation of the constitution and thus, he should face the consequences.
However, Governor Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa, who spoke to State House correspondents after the monthly NEC meeting presided over by Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo, said the president’s decision to order for the payment of the aircraft was in the national interest.
He said: “We forget easily. If you recall we have been battling with approval from America to buy these equipment since 2014. We have been begging Americans to sell this equipment to us. We tried Dubai they could not allow us because it is patented; there is another factory in Brazil, the Federal Government tried we couldn’t get.
“Then luckily President Donald Trump said ‘is okay to buy’.
“So, we had to quickly paid the money for the equipment before they change their minds because there was also deadline, and this is state-to-state transaction.
“We are all here concern about security and then raising questions on how and manner on which you protect people – this is an emergency situation “So, this thing has to be understood clearly and look at the situation at the fuller perspective not a narrow perspective.
“The President did what he has to do to protect his people and this is what happened and you know something might just happen and then the Americans will say (no stop the sale) but we have paid already they have to supply.’’
Badaru also disclosed that five states which included Jigawa, Lagos, Taraba and Kwara updated the NEC on agricultural activities in their respective states.
According to him, employment opportunities have been created for youths through agriculture in Jigawa, adding that youths have been empowered in semi-mechanized farming scheme to boost agricultural production in the state.
He also revealed that a good number of the youth had been trained to serve as service providers to farmers in the areas of rice production, pest control and marketing of agricultural produce.