The Coalition of Civil Society, Workers and Human Rights Defenders and, Mass Movement For True Democracy, Integral Development and Good Governance, has condemned in very strong terms, the use of public funds for the funding and development of private business of individuals, seeming relatives and community members of the president, even as they questioned the legality of such action.
In a Press Statement issued by the Coalition in Enugu which was signed by the trio Comrade Osmond Ugwu, President of the International Solidarity for Peace and Human Rights Initiative, Dr Jerry Chukwuokolo, Deputy Leader of the Mass Movement for True Democracy and Integral Development and Comrade Zulu Ofoelue, Secretary, Coalition of Civil Society, Workers and Human Rights Defenders, the group faulted the use of public funds to fund private business and called for a probe into the matter.
According to the statement “On Friday, 16th July, 2021, the media reported the statement of Senior Special Assistant to the president, Mr Garba Shehu informing the Nigerian people and the world at large that the president of Federal Republic of Nigeria has approved the sum of N6.25 Billion Naira for the kick-starting of Ranching business in his state. The Governor of the state even revealed further that out of the sum, N5Billion has been released. ”
The Coalition surmised that “From the foregoing, it is quite clear that the approval and release of the fund cast serious doubts as to the legality, due process of the approval and real motive, purpose and would-be beneficiary of the fund. The agency that will use or is using the fund and who should be held accountable for use or misuse is not known or mentioned.”
They wondered whether the fund is approved for use by the Katsina state Governor or any of the agencies of the Federal Government as was not made known or mentioned pointing out that whether it was approved as a grant or loan to the Katsina State Government or as part of the programmes of the Federal Government like National Agricultural Transformation Agenda programme of the Federal Government was equally not made known or mentioned.
The Coalition posited that the approval of such fund by the person of the president is quite illegal as it lacks the backing of the constitution for whatever purpose it is meant for especially as no one can ascertain whether such fund was provided for in the budget, as such approval should have been conveyed by the Federal Executive Council for whatever purpose and must be contained in the budget.
The social watchdog group contended further that the date of approval was also not mentioned as well as the date of the release of part of the fund.
“The news of the approval and release of fund coming at the same time from different persons put a serious doubt as per the release of the fund and approval, which one preceded each other.
Even if such approval underwent the due process and enjoyed legal flavours, the legality and morality of such usage are condemnable.” the group declared.
The statement further deplored the development as “quite illegal and indeed highly immoral for the president to use the opportunity of his being the president to divert the Tax Payers money to establish and develop a private business of selected people from his own tribe to the neglect and disadvantage of the other members of Nigeria people. The way and manner of such approval, the speedy manner of release and the purpose left no conscious being in doubt as to the personal interest of the president, being known to be a notable cattle owner”.
The Coalition opined that “We are highly suspicious of the fact that the ranch the fund is meant for will turn out to be meant for the rearing of the cattle of the president now and after the end of his tenure as the president.
Consequent the Coalition demanded as follows: “Minister for Budget and Economic planning to explain to Nigeria people which budget of the Federal Government that contains the N6.25B for Cattle Ranch in Katsina state, that the Minister for Finance explain to Nigeria people when the Federal Executive Council approved the sum of N6.25B out of which she released N5B. She should explain to us from which subhead the sum was released as well as to whom the money was released, Nigeria Senate and House of Representatives should as a matter of urgency, probe into the money, pass a motion asking for the reverse of the approval and return of the fund.”
They also enjoined the EFCC and ICPC to probe into the circumstances of the fund and its release.
The Coalition urged Civil Society Organisations to rise to challenge the approval and release of this fund as the action of the approval and release of the sum may likely expand the space of national disunity and security threats because of the likelihood of people from other ethnic nationalities and states stepping up demand for secession because of the inherent injustices in the unilateral approval and release of the fund.
The Coalition called for immediate reversal of the approval and for the return of the released fund or in the alternative, payment of the same amount to all other states to embark on Agricultural practice in their own areas of comparative advantage even as they beckoned on other Civil Society organisations and workers’ Unions to follow suit.
The CSO group also called for an immediate probe into the process of approval and the release of funds used for the completion of the Regional Water Scheme, Dutsin-ma, Kaduna state by the National Assembly.
The Coalition urged Nigerian governors to “also rise to challenge this approval of the use of the money of the federation to fund establishment and development of ranch in Katsina State and probe into the process of the approval and release of fund for the water scheme with the fund of the federation. They should also ensure that all other abandoned Federal Government projects in other states receive equal attention and treatment”, the group concluded.