The Federal Government has defended the disbursement of N1.15bn for the purchase of 10 SUVs for the Republic of Niger, saying that the move is to enable the country to safeguard its territory in the best interest of Nigeria’s security.
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, said it was not the first time Nigeria is supporting her neighbours, she said that the President has a responsibility to make such decisions “in the best interests of the country”.
A Report in June revealed that the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), approved N1.15bn to purchase 10 Toyota Land Cruiser V8 vehicles for the Nigerien government.
The record which was sourced from the ‘appropriations’ page of the Ministry’s website showed that in July 2022, N1,145,000,000 was approved for payment to Kaura Motors Nigeria Limited to supply the SUVs.
It also revealed that the President had okayed the disbursement since February 2022.
The news has sparked outrage amongst Nigerians who argued that funding a foreign entity should not be the government’s priority amid the harsh economic realities.
