The Coalition Against Terrorism and Extremism (CATRE), a civil society group, has described the approval of $1 billion for the fight against Boko Haram insurgency as a step in the right direction.
The decision to take the money from the crude account was announced during the national economic council meeting of Thursday.
All the governors of the 36 states were said to have endorsed the plan but Ayo Fayose of Ekiti has denied any involvement in the approval.
Many people have also expressed their reservations on the development, asking why the money is needed to fight a Boko Haram that has been “technically defeated.”
Fayose subsequently filed a suit before a federal high court in Abuja, challenging the decision of his colleagues to approve the money.
Reacting to the development, the group said though much success has been recorded in the fight against insurgency by the current administration, the battle is not over yet.
In a statement, Gabriel Onoja, national president, CATRE, said insurgency cannot be said to be subdued if remnants of its “causative agents” are left to foster, no matter how insignificant the number.
According to the group, the money if invested in the anti-insurgency war, is of no value, compared to the quality of life it will bring to citizens affected by the war.
“It is true that the sect has been degraded and technically defeated but the recent attack on soft targets has indicated that there are remnants of the sect not only fighting for survival but seeking ways to relaunch their deadly attacks on the citizenry,” the statement read.
“This, to us informs the need to approach the matter holistically and with military precision so that total success would be achieved. This has necessitated the request by the federal government and its subsequent approval by the state governors.
“Unlike in the past where such funds are seen as slush funds that were arbitrarily disbursed to cronies of those in government in the most shameful and brazen manners, we have absolute confidence in the current administration that the funds would be used for the purpose it is meant for and every single kobo would be accounted for.
“This is because the President, Muhammadu Buhari and his service chiefs have shown capacity to appreciate the depth of the problem and not toy with the lives and destinies of people as was the practice in the past
“This step should be seen as a commitment by the Nigerian state to take care of a cancerous problem and this involves the purchase of more military hard and softwares, communication gadgets, fighter jets and helicopter gun ships, drones and other surveillance equipment to achieve success.
“All these require huge amount but the need would be appreciated against the backdrop of the enormous problem it is set to solve. Life would revert to normal for millions that have been sacked from their communities, institutions built with public funds would be preserved and utilized, millions of children would return to schools and a substantial part of Nigeria would be given the opportunity to restart. All these are not what money can quantify.
“The Coalition hereby endorses the approval of $1billion to support the mop-up operations in the ongoing war against terrorism and insurgency in Nigeria and urges all Nigerians to do same.”
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