Lillian Okenwa
Nigeria’s pioneer Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) and present National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu made a startling disclosure on Monday when he announced that the immediate past administration of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari left an empty treasury.
Speaking in Abuja at the Chief of Defence Intelligence Annual Conference 2023, with the theme: Leveraging Defence Diplomacy, and Effective Regional Collaboration for Enhanced National Security, Ribadu said:
“We’re facing budgetary constraints. It is okay for me to tell you. Fine, it is important for you to know that we inherited a difficult situation, literally a bankrupt country, no money, to a point where we can say that all the money we’re getting now, we’re paying back what was taken. It is serious!”
But that is not all. Speaking from Mecca, Saudi Arabia on Monday night while advancing negotiations concerning a multi-billion dollar infrastructure finance facility from the Islamic Development Bank to fund a multi-sectoral portfolio of infrastructure projects at the federal and sub-national levels in Nigeria, the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced that his administration inherited serious liabilities from his predecessors, lamenting that Nigeria has serious deficits in port and power infrastructure, as well as agro-allied facilities.
What is puzzling about these revelations is that the recent change in government was from APC to APC and Tinubu has often been credited with enthroning the former president Buhari, a staunch member of the ruling APC.
Public affairs analysts posit that it gets even stranger when rather than take legal action against persons or the administration said to have run the country aground, the President and his NSA are busy making speeches.
Even more curious is that while President Bola Tinubu is in Saudi Arabia reportedly negotiating multi-billion dollar deals for Nigeria, the Saudi Arabia authorities cancelled the visas of all 264 passengers airlifted by Nigeria’s major carrier, Air Peace on arrival at the country from Kano and deported them.
It took the intervention of the Nigerian embassy for Saudi authorities to reportedly reduce the number of passengers that were returned to 170.
For days the Saudi government which is playing host to Nigeria’s president did not offer any explanation. No word. The Nigerian government was also silent. After all the hue and cry a statement was released by the Press Attache to the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Nigeria, Mohammed Al-Sahabi, Al-Sahabi, alleging that the affected Nigerians did not fulfil the entry requirements into the Kingdom.
Could it be possible that all 264 passengers whose visas were initially cancelled until an intervention came from the Nigerian embassy “submitted incorrect information to obtain a category of visa that doesn’t apply to them, which was discovered upon their arrival”? Ok, the number was eventually reduced and 170 passengers were deported. Could the Saudi Authorities be right in their assertions that these ones “didn’t fulfill the entry conditions and requirements in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations of the Kingdom”? Strange.
More troubling however is the fact that armed with all this information, the president went ahead to appoint 48 ministers, numerous Special Advisers and Senior Special Advisers, took delivery of N5 billion worth of Yacht, allocated N1.5 billion on vehicles for the office of the First Lady, N2.9 billion on Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV) for the Presidential Villa, N2.9 billion to replace operational vehicles for the presidency and another N12.5 billion on the presidential air fleet.
The presidential fleet includes Boeing Business Jet (Boeing 737-800 or NAF 001), one Gulfstream 550, one Gulfstream V (Gulfstream 500), two Falcons 7X, one Hawker Sidley 4000, two AgustaWestland AW 139 helicopters and two AgustaWestland AW 101 helicopters.
Weeks ago, Seyi Tinubu, the son of the president, came under fire for flying in one f the presidential jets a private enterprise. He was flown to Kano in a presidential jet to watch the finals of this year’s edition of the Kano International Polo Tournament.
The government is also proposing to spend N4 billion on the renovation of the residential quarters of the president, and N2.5 billion on the renovation of the vice president’s residence. In all, N28 billion is proposed for the State House.
Meanwhile, the mental health of many Nigerians has come under intensive strain as hopelessness spiked by the cost of living, insecurity and more continue to rise. In its Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released on Tuesday, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) disclosed that the rate of change in prices of goods and services, rose to 27.33 per cent in October 2023.
The latest figure marks the tenth consecutive rise in the country’s inflation rate this year but even Nigeria’s legislators are not left out in the pillaging. Punch Newspapers in its editorial of 30th October 2023 had this to say:
“CONTEMPTUOUS as ever of public opinion, the 469 members of the National Assembly have started taking delivery of luxury SUVs estimated to eventually cost the taxpayer N57.6 billion. They brushed aside public opposition questioning the propriety of such expenditure at this time when majority of Nigerians are poor, the treasury is empty, the country indebted, and the economy wobbly. It is another sickening display of avarice by supposed representatives of the people. Nigerians should protest the outrageous expenditure.
“Unjustified in all material particulars, the lawmakers demonstrated their distance from the people, and their utter lack of patriotism by rejecting suggestions to patronise locally assembled vehicles, and at least keep some Nigerians in employment. But they insisted on spending scarce foreign exchange to satisfy their craving for foreign-made SUVs at public expense.
“Each lawmaker is receiving a Toyota Prado SUV reportedly worth N130 million-N160 million. Earlier, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, had reportedly ordered four Lexus SUVs valued at N1 billion.
“Provocatively, the luxury may be financed with part of the N500 billion petrol subsidy stoppage palliative spending. How callous! The package is supposedly to provide succour to poor Nigerians that numbered over 133 million even before the subsidy removal and naira flotation triggered rocketing inflation and more hunger.”
Additional reports from Premium Times and The PUNCH.
