President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday described the arms deal scandal as a betrayal of trust at all levels.
He described the revelation of corruption at the ongoing investigation into the arms procurement probe as most unfortunate.
Buhari spoke at a presidential dinner he hosted in honour of members of the House of Representatives at the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The President told his guests that the “objective of his administration is to first secure the country and then proceed to efficiently manage it.”
He said the most obvious problem currently facing the country “is the Boko Haram issue.”
Buhari said that was why he changed the leadership of the nation’s military and appointed new ones with clear targets to reorganise, retrain and re-equip the army in order to neutralise the Boko Haram sect.
He said that while the nation was spending its meagre resources to ensure that the morale of security agents was raised, it was unfortunate that there was betrayal of trust on the part of those saddled with the responsibility of acquiring equipment for the military.
He said his administration could not keep quiet about some of the revelations.
The President regretted that the situation got to a stage that the Nigerian military that was known for its global exploits could not secure 14 out of the nation’s 774 local governments.
He said, “We expended the meagre resources we have to ensure the morale of the military is raised by getting officers to be on the ground with the men. But unfortunately for us, as a people, …there was an abuse of trust at various levels which cost Nigeria a lot of lives and goodwill.
“So, we cannot keep quiet about this. It is very unfortunate. It is a known fact that Nigeria earned its respect from Burma to Zaire to Liberia to Sierra Leone. But it reached a stage where the Nigerian military could not secure 14 out of the nation’s 774 local governments.”
The President admitted that the country still had a long way to go and more obstacles to surmount.
He said it would be wrong to read religious meaning into the activities of the Boko Haram sect, noting that it was against the doctrine of any religion that worshippers and children should be killed.
He therefore sought the understanding and support of the lawmakers in moving the nation forward.
“Let us make up our minds that whatever we are doing, we are doing it for this country. Let us secure the country first. Let us efficiently manage the country.
“That was why I was up and down to Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Benin and Germany to meet the leaders of G7 and the leaders of the international community to put our case forward which is very well known.
“If in the capital of a developed country, 130 people were killed, who is Nigeria? We have a problem, but we are very lucky that the intention of the terrorists is to divide the country but I think they have misfired,” he added.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, in his response asked all leaders in attendance to ponder on the kind of legacies they wanted to be remembered for after their death.
Dogara said he noted that the President thanked the lawmakers for their support so far because he suspected that there would be disagreement in future.
He told Buhari that the disagreement would definitely come even earlier than he expected.
He cited the example of the 2016 budget before the National Assembly, saying there would be fireworks during debate on the document.
This notwithstanding, Dogara promised Buhari of the parliament’s support for his efforts aimed at moving the nation forward.
While saying that Buhari’s desire to rid the nation of corruption was not in doubt, he warned that if the nation could not get it right in these four years, it would be difficult to get it right again.
He said, “No one can doubt your commitment to rid this country of corruption.
“These four years are very crucial. If we do not get it right in these four years, this generation should forget about getting it right. We will support your administration regardless of our political parties.”
He expressed delight that Buhari raised the issue of 70 per cent turnover rate in the House of Representatives.
He said there was something the President could do about the issue but he would not say it in the presence of journalists.
“There is no greater failure than success without a successor. You will enjoy the support of the parliament. It will take a seamless relationship among the three arms of government to make the country work,” he added.
Shortly after dinner, journalists were politely asked to leave the venue.
The event was attended by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; a former Interim Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Bisi Akande; and other top government officials.
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