Buhari Orders Investigation Into Security Budget Expenditure

President Muhammadu Buhari has reportedly directed the military authorities and other relevant bodies to launch investigation into the expenditure of security vote money appropriated previously appropriated in the budget.



According to Leadership, the Nigerian leader also gave an order to stop drawing money from security vote for emergency funding.
A source who pleaded for anonymity disclosed the move came after the administration learned that the said channel had been blatantly used for money diversion.

The security allocation was said to be the most challenging area for the government of Goodluck Jonathan. The new service chiefs were startled upon eventually meeting the reality of funding of the armed forces.
“Some of them not only meet an empty treasury but after several attempts to reconcile documents containing expenditures of the security votes, they were surprised that they didn’t correspond with what the funds were meant to be spent for.”

Citing one of the examples, the source close to the presidency said the security had received N922 billion in the 2012 budget, but not even half of the security vote had not been actually spent on military projects.
“One of the findings of the investigative team probing how weapons were procured under the past administration is that the security vote was not disbursed in a way that would improve the standard of the military. Monies meant for military operation were diverted for emergency funding.”

Meanwhile in an official statement by presidential media aide Garba Shehu, Buhari directed the stoppage the withdrawal of money meant for emergency funding.
 
 “We were here in the media section of the presidency before the coming of this administration. We heard of accounts of so many things around government, including a part of the State House relying on drawings from the security vote.
“From day one, the president informed Femi and I that media work under him must be funded through the regular budget, and that it is illegal to draw from the security vote…
“By the time the ongoing investigation into the security department is complete, Nigerians will be shocked by the scale of waste and, possibly, misappropriation that has taken place in that single (security) sector.
“So, you can see that there are a lot of wastage that he has been found in this place and he has been cutting it down. Whatever is sent to the State House management, and whatever you need, go and look at the appropriation properly.

“We are not going to have a situation where emergency funding will be required from time to time. Everything must be duly approved and follow due process. He is a very austere president; he lives it, he preaches it and he promotes it.”

In another development President Buhari yesterday shed light on the most widely-discussed political issue in the country, when he spoke at the press conference after meeting with his Ghanaian counterpart. Addressing the question of his ministerial appointments, Buhari said he would have named his cabinet by the end of month September.

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