Osinbajo Tackles Obaseki, ‘$1bn ECA Not For Insurgency Alone’

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo says the $1bn approved by governors is not just for the fight against Boko Haram, but “to assist all of the issues” facing all the states of the federation.

Osinbajo said this while speaking at the opening of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation/Secretaries to State Governments’ retreat at the Presidential Villa, on Tuesday in Abuja.

This is coming on the hills of criticisms from groups and individuals, and most recently the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.

Recall that following a meeting of the National Economic Council last Wednesday, governors had approved the withdrawal of $1bn from the Excess Crude Account to “fight insurgency”.

Briefing news men after the meeting, Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki explained that the sum was approved for the fight against insurgency especially in the North-east.

“Pleased with the achievements that have been made till date in the fight against insurgency, particularly in the North East, the governors of Nigeria through their chairman announced at the NEC meeting that the governors have given permission to the Federal Government to spend the sum of $1bn on the fight of insurgency,” the Edo governor had said.

But Osinbajo explained that the governors agreed to approve the huge sum for national security after a national security summit organised by the National Executive Council about two months ago.

He said the money was to assist all challenges across the states, including kidnapping, small arms trafficking, terrorist activities of Boko Haram in the North East, clashes between herdsmen and farmers, as well as cattle rustling.

The Vice-President said, “It was on account of the security summit that the governors at the Governors’ Forum subsequently decided that they would vote a certain sum of money, which has become somewhat controversial, the $1bn, to assist the security architecture of the country.

“It was to assist all of the issues in the states, including policing in the states, community policing, all of the different security challenges that we have.

“It was after the security summit that the Governors’ Forum met across party lines –again, I must add — in order to approve and to accept that this is what needed to be done to shore up our security architecture.”