Donation To Niger Republic: CNPP, SERAP, Others Seek Buhari’s Impeachment

The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) has berated the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government for donating vehicles worth N1.14billion to neighbouring Niger Republic, and requested the National Assembly to impeach the president without further delay.
This is even as the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to demand the refund of the N1.4billion given to the Niger Republic for the purchase of official vehicles.
The Nigerian government, through the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, confirmed that Buhari approved the purchase and donation of vehicles worth N1.14billion to Niger Republic to address its security challenges
Ahmed confirmed this to reporters shortly after last Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.
According to her, it was to aid Niger in the acquisition of some operational vehicles.
She argued that even though Nigerians have the right to question the rationale for such donation, Buhari, who approved the purchase, also has the right to make his own assessment of situations and act accordingly.
Reacting to the development, the CNPP, in a statement signed by its Secretary-General, Willy Ezugwu, and made available to newsmen, yesterday, called for Buhari’s immediate impeachment.
The CNPP urged “the National Assembly to waste no time in impeaching the president for funding a foreign country under the guise of improvements in her security logistics but failed to tackle insecurity at home, seeing that the vehicles in question were not security patrol vans but executive SUV jeeps.”
“The six weeks ultimatum issued to Mr. President to tackle internal security should be cut short immediately as the Senate must now reconvene as a matter of urgency to commence the impeachment proceedings without further delay,” the CNPP demanded.
“Secondly, at the height of insecurity in the country, a contract to supply the 10 units of Toyota Land Cruisers was awarded while the Nigerian police lack operational vehicles and other necessary equipment to carry out internal security operations.
“Today, the military, which traditionally has no business with internal security, has been drafted to deal with ordinary unarmed protesters when we have police units that were trained to manage riotous crowds in a civil manner.
“Despite the harsh economic realities in Nigeria, the president is also funding the economic interests of the same foreign entity through the $1.96billion 284km rail project connecting Kano in Nigeria to Maradi in Niger Republic.
“The CNPP, therefore, calls on all Nigerians to take note of the level of insensitivity and maladministration of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government and do the needful in 2023 as the country cannot survive another eight years of an APC government from next year”, the statement added.
ASUU, on February 14, had embarked on strike to press home its demands for a better welfare package, revamping of the nation’s education sector, among others, a situation that has forced many Nigerian students to be at home.
Worried by the lingering industrial dispute, Buhari had, on July 19, instructed the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, to proffer a solution to the challenge and report back to him in two weeks.
Similarly, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) demanded urged President Muhammadu Buhari to demand a refund of the N1.4billion given to the Niger Republic for the purchase of official vehicles.
SERAP made the demand on its verified Twitter handle, last Wednesday.
Reacting to this, SERAP tweeted, “The Buhari administration must immediately ask Niger Republic authorities to refund the N1.4billion approved for them to buy vehicles, and use the money to offset the funding for ASUU, so those poor children can go back to school”.
Also, a chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Prof Mustapha Rabo, berated the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government for donating vehicles worth N1.14billion to neighbouring Niger Republic.
He said the blood of innocent Nigerians killed by bandits and those being held in captivity would never forgive the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Reacting, Rabo, who was a former lecturer at the Department of Political Science, Bayero University, Kano, wondered why the President could not “quench fire in his bedroom but ran to use all available means to stop fire in his neighbour’s apartment.”
According to him, several Nigerians are being held in kidnappers’ den, yet the Nigerian Government could not find a lasting solution to it.
“Nigerians are mourning several people killed, held captive, made slaves, in kidnappers’ den. Nigerians are frustrated due to security challenges, Nigerians could no longer go to their farms, because of bandits, and we can no longer sleep at night because of attacks and killings by these criminals, who have become war lords in Nigeria.
“Yet, our president approved a whopping sum of N1.14billion to a neighbouring country to tackle their security challenges,” he said.
He described the decision as wicked, devastating and uncalled for.
“Kidnappers of the Abuja-Kaduna train victims are demanding N100million on each of the remaining 43 victims who are languishing in the forest.
“Their families have cried severally for help, but the Federal Government is keeping a sealed mouth,” he lamented.