FG Initiates Urgent Steps to Sanitise Defence Procurements

The President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government has revealed that urgent and appropriate steps are in motion to bring back order, due process and probity to the procurement processes of the Nigerian Armed Forces. Addressing the British Secretary of State for Defence, Michael Fallon, the President expressed sadness that the purchase of equipment for Nigeria’s Armed Forces, which has been following proper procedure in the past, has now become an avenue for corruption and shady deals under the immediate past government. “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 said. The President reiterated his optimism that the international community must collaborate more and work with greater unity of purpose to overcome global terrorism. He added that “Terrorism has become very sophisticated now. If developed nations can be attacked, and hundreds of lives lost, how much more developing countries? “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.” On his part, Fallon said that he was in Nigeria to see how Britain could be of assistance in the fight against 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 said.”