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Falana Faults Jonathan's $1bn Loan Request For Tackling Boko Haram

President Jonathan on Wednesday requested the approval of a $1bn National Assembly; the loan is to aid the Federal Government in tackling the Boko Haram insurgency.

It would be noted that since 2009 Nigeria as been plagued by this islamic sect; April 14 defined by the kidnap of over 200 girls from their school in Chibok borno state, by Boko Haram,  a situation that has garnered international interest.

However, inspite of the prevalance of insecurity in the nation, Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, a confab delegate has asked the National Assembly to reject the $1bn loan request made by President Goodluck Jonathan for tackling the Islamic sect, Boko Haram.

Falana’s reason is that the President must explain what he had been doing with the budgets made for defence in the past few years.

He said, “The request made by President Jonathan for approval of the Senate for a loan of $1 bn to fight the menace of the Boko Haram sect should be rejected in its entirety. Between 2010 and 2013 over N3tn was budgeted for defence.

“Under the Appropriation Bill signed into law on May 23 this year, 20 per cent of the entire federal budget i.e. the sum of N968.127bn out of N4.962tn was earmarked for defence. The Senate should find out what happened to the defence budget in the middle of the year to warrant a supplementary budget of N160bn.”

Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Yusuf Alli, said the request by the President had created a state of uncertainty as he had yet to be fully aware of all the parameters for the request, urging the National Assembly to be sure there was a need for it before approval.

But the Coordinator of National Information Centre, Mr. Mike Omeri, said the Federal Government would not spare resources to bring back the schoolgirls abducted from the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, on April 14.

 

 

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