Arms deal landed Nigeria ‘in crisis’, says Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari says the violation of the procurement of arms for the military under the last administration is responsible for some of the challenges confronting the country.

Speaking on Monday when Michael Fallon, British secretary of state for defence, visited him in Abuja, Buhari  his government was taking urgent and appropriate actions “to restore order, due process and probity to the procurement processes of the nation’s armed forces”.

According to Femi Adesina, presidential spokesman, Buhari lamented that the procurement of equipment for Nigeria’s armed forces which followed due process  in the past, had become open to corruption and shady deals under the last administration.

“They just put foreign exchange in a briefcase and travelled  to procure equipment for the military. That is why we have found ourselves in the crisis we are now facing,” Buhari was quoted as saying.

Welcoming the offer by the British government to assist Nigeria in defence procurements, intelligence gathering and training,  the president restated his conviction that the international community must collaborate more and work with greater unity of purpose to overcome global terrorism.

“Terrorism has become very sophisticated now. If developed nations can be attacked, and hundreds of lives lost, how much more developing countries?” he asked.

“In the West African sub-region, Nigeria is the main battleground of the Boko Haram insurgency. We have made a lot of progress against the terrorists, but we will welcome more assistance from our friends and the international community.”

Fallon said he was in the country to see what more Britain could do to support Nigeria in battling terrorism and violent extremism.

“Groups like Boko Haram don’t believe in democracy and freedom of choice, so it’s a common fight for us all,” he told Buhari.

A panel set up by the president is probing the process of arms procurement in the armed forces from 2007 to 2015.

The panel indicted Sambo Dasuki, former national security adviser (NSA), for allegedly awarding fictitious contracts and diverting funds meant for arms purchase.

Dasuki denied all the allegations.