The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) has blasted the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government for making the donation of some vehicles worth ₦1.14 billion to the neighbouring Niger Republic.
The Nigerian government, through the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed had also confirmed that President Buhari had also approved the purchase and donation of the vehicles which were worth ₦1.14 billion to Niger Republic in order to address its security challenges.
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Ahmed had also confirmed this to reporters shortly after Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting. According to her, it is 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 DAILY POST on Thursday, called for President 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 $1.96 billion 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) 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, 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, President 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.