Arms Deals Panel Begins Sitting In Abuja
hardware and ammunition in the Armed Forces has started its sitting.
The committee has been meeting in the office of the National Security
Adviser, Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd.), a source in the
Presidency confided in FrontiersNews on Wednesday.
The source said, “I can confirm to you that the committee members have
started meeting. They even started meeting before their appointments
were announced. This is because they do not need any confirmation or
any formal inauguration.
“Available information showed that members are getting the needed
assistance and support from interested parties.
“It is the government’s belief that a lot of ground would be covered
by the committee in its desire to ascertain what went wrong in the
past as far as the procurement of arms is concerned.”
Presidential spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina, had on Monday announced the
composition of the committee, which is saddled with the responsibility
of probing arms purchase from 2007 till now.
Adesina had said the President directed the NSA to set up the
committee with the mandate of identifying irregularities and making
recommendations for streamlining the procurement process in the Armed
Forces.
Members of the committee include AVM J.O.N. Ode (retd.) –chairman;
R/Adm. J. A. Aikhomu (retd.); R/Adm. E. Ogbor (retd.); Brig. Gen L.
Adekagun (retd.); Brig. Gen. M. Aminu-Kano (retd.); Brig. Gen. N.
Rimtip (retd.); Cdre. T.D. Ikoli; Air Cdre U. Mohammed (retd.); Air
Cdre I. Shafi’i; Col. A.A. Ariyibi; Group Capt. C.A. Oriaku (retd.);
Mr. I. Magu (EFCC); and Brig. Gen Y.I. Shalangwa – Secretary.
Adesina explained that the establishment of the committee was in
keeping with Buhari’s determination to stamp out corruption and
irregularities in Nigeria’s public service.
He added, “It (the committee) comes against the background of the
myriad of challenges that the Nigerian Armed Forces have faced in the
course of ongoing counter-insurgency operations in the North-East,
including the apparent deficit in military platforms with its
attendant negative effects of troops’ morale.
“The committee will specifically investigate allegations of
non-adherence to correct equipment procurement procedures and the
exclusion of relevant logistics branches from arms procurement under
past administrations, which, very often resulted in the acquisition of
sub-standard and unserviceable equipment.”
No timeline was given for the committee to carry out its assignment.
Meanwhile, South Africa has said that it is not involved in the
investigation into the purchase of arms by the administrations of late
President Umaru Yar’Adua and former President Goodluck Jonathan.
It described the arms probe panel as a Nigerian affair, saying it did
not involve in the aborted botched $15m arms deal by the
administration of Jonathan in 2014.
The South Africa’s High Commissioner in Nigeria, Lulu Mnguni, stated
this in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Wednesday.
Mnguni was asked to react to a report that South Africa might be
invited by the Buhari’s arms deal probe panel.
Also asked if his commission would appear before the panel if
summoned, the envoy said his mission had nothing to do with the failed
arms deals, stressing that it was purely a Nigerian issue.
He added that the South African mission would be guided by directives
from the home government, noting that the embassy was a member of the
diplomatic community which only follows official instructions.
“We don’t know anything about the arms issue; that is a Nigerian
matter. We are not involved. You know what, we are guided by our
government and you must also know that we are in the diplomatic
community,” he said.
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