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Thursday, March 28, 2024

How $2.1 Billion Arms Money Is The Biggest Propaganda Of 2015 [MUST READ]

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[dropcap]I[/dropcap] have been following the so-called #DasukiGate and I am amazed how easy it is for the Buhari government to use the media to deceive and distract the ignorant masses of Nigeria. History has shown that propaganda remains the biggest tool of any government that intends to enslave a people. Unfortunately, even the current opposition has been quite incompetent in putting the records straight with regards to this hoax called the ‘$2.1 billion #Dasukigate fraud‘.

For the records, there is nothing like a $2.1 billion arms money anywhere during the tenure of former President Goodluck Jonathan or, and perhaps, during the tenure of any president before him. What you know as ‘$2.1 billion arms money is a propaganda masterstroke concocted  by the Department for State Security Services (DSS) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to distract everyone from the incompetence of the Buhari administration.

RELATED: I Didn’t Award $2 Billion Weapons Procurement Deal – Jonathan

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has spoken out twice, saying that he never approved any $2.1 billion arms deal and as a matter of fact, Nigeria never had that kind of money just for arms before. But, it seems the ignorant masses still don’t get it, perhaps because Jonathan is not good at shouting on the rooftops and amplifying his voice in the media.

So, where did the “$2.1 billion arms money” headline originate from?

ALSO READ: ‘It’s a witch-hunt’: Dasuki Opens Up On 24-Hour Ordeal With SSS (READ)

Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari campaigned vigorously on the notion that he was coming to fight corruption. He whipped his admirers to a frenzy. So much so that when he got into office the first thing he had to do was live up to his strongman image. When he looked into the oil sector, the NNPC and found that there was no ready fraudulent transaction to hang onto and wave before Nigerians, he turned his gaze on defence spending.

Buhari quickly set up a panel to investigate his old enemy, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd), the immediate past National Security Advisor. According to reports, Dasuki led the team of soldiers who arrested him when his government was toppled by men under his command in 1985. Buhari, being a petty person, had never forgiven Dasuki for simply obeying the orders of his preferred superiors at the time.

ALSO READ: How We Plotted To Accuse NSA Dasuki Of Staging A Coup Against Buhari – Garba Shehu

Buhari set up a panel to investigate purchase of arms and defence spending from 2007 to 2014. Dasuki was appointed NSA on June 22, 2012. He held that position till July 2015 when Buhari removed him and immediately launched a witch-hunt using the DSS. They first began with laying a siege on Dasuki’s house. In the end, the DSS came out with a press statement that they found seven rifles, amoured SUVs, and $40,000 in Dasuki’s house and threatened to charge him for treasonable felony suggesting that Dasuki was planning to topple the Buhari government with the seven rifles.

RELATED: Dasuki Replies Buhari On Arrest Order, ‘I Object To A Secret Trial’ (READ)

The matter ended in court where Dasuki was charged for possessing firearms without a license. The judge granted Dasuki bail on his personal recognition. That surely didn’t go down well with Buhari. So the government requested a secret trial for Dasuki. The Sokoto Prince kicked against a secret trial and requested permission from the court to travel abroad for treatment of cancer.

Buhari felt that if the court order was obeyed, his image as an emperor fighting corruption would be tarnished. The tyrant in him began to roar. He sent the DSS to lay a siege on Dasuki’s house. The siege was on for three weeks. He then used that time to manufacture the $2.1 billion arms fraud or scam to cover up his lawlessness, given that there was a human rights abuse outcry against his government over the treatment of Dasuki.

ALSO READ: Buhari Orders Arrest Of Former NSA Sambo Dasuki Over $2.3 Billion Arms Deal (DETAILS)

RELATED: Arms Procurement: 19 Former Service Chiefs, 4 NSAs, 8 Ministers To Appear Before Panel

So, where did the figure come from?

Buhari’s panel submitted a report saying it found that the NSA’s office had been allocated $2.1 billion for the period under review. What is the period under review? 2007 – 2014. Whereas, Dasuki was NSA for 18 months for the period under review. So there you have it. That is where the media has been saying that $2.1 billion arms money was diverted.

Note that neither Buhari, the DSS, the EFCC have officially declared the existence of a $2.1 billion arms money diverted. Buhari went on TV growling over “How can a president ask [Dasuki] to withdraw N40 billion and you do it?” The EFCC has not mentioned any arms money or diversion of it in their charges against Dasuki, Dokpesi, or anyone else.

RELATED: People Like Nnamdi Kanu And Dasuki Don’t Deserve Bail – Buhari Confirms Dictatorship

So, where did the monies being mentioned come from? They are talking about money allocated to the SECURITY VOTE for the NSA’s office and for the President. The security vote money is not for arms purchases. That is why the EFCC has not charged Dasuki for diversion of arms funds. Because they would lose woefully.

Another interesting fact is that out of the the $2.1 billion, $300 million was specifically allocated for the purchase of arms. And Dasuki has issued a statement explaining what arms were bought and how the Nigerian Armed Forces took delivery of the equipment, arms, and ammunition. Ironically the $300 million is from the Abacha loot recovered by the Jonathan administration. Recall that Buhari was a high ranking official in Abacha’s government and is on record claiming that Abacha never stole.

ALSO READ: ‘I am not a thief’: Dasuki Replies Presidency, Says Buhari Desperate To Hang Him

Is it a wonder, still, why the EFCC and DSS would disobey the court process? They know that they have no case against Dasuki and he would walk out of court the same way he went in, an innocent man. They don’t trust the veracity of their case against the former NSA or anyone else for that matter.

So why did they go for the headlines – ‘$2.1 Billion arms purchase money’, when they knew there was no such thing?

Because the whole of Buhari’s anti corruption fight was only a propaganda stunt from the beginning. It was a well crafted stunt to distract the masses and persecute any dissenting voice so Buhari can fully consolidate power.

Does that mean I think many of the politicians mentioned in the scandal are clean? By no means! Nigerian politicians are corrupt, without a doubt, including the sitting President  and everyone in the ruling APC party. Buhari’s campaign itself was sponsored from corruption. The Amaechi corruption scandals are well documented with very strong evidence. The white paper submitted by a Judicial Commission of Investigation was released this week. The document indicts Rotimi Amaechi of N96 million corruption. You may view the allegation of corruption against the President’s minister of Transportation HERE.

RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: White Paper Indicting Rotimi Amaechi For N96 Billion Corruption [DOCUMENT]

If Dasuki stole any money from his office, he should be prosecuted accordingly. But this reckless and irresponsible media propaganda and charade of an anti-corruption fight has got to stop. Media trial is injustice and corruption, in itself.

I find it really deceitful when Femi Adesina, Buhari’s spokesman tried to link their fake figure with the soldiers who died in battle and the innocent people of the North East and other part of the North killed by Boko Haram alluding to $2.1 billion being money meant to buy arms to prosecute the war against terrorism. Such a wicked narrative meant to demonise those who worked hard during the last administration to fight this menace called Boko Haram.

ALSO READ: ‘You Know Dasuki Is Being Lied Against’: Open Letter To Buhari’s Spokesman, @FemAdesina

Nigerians should stop and think. If Jonathan’s administration did not buy arms and ammunition for the troops, with what did they use to fight the war pushing back the terrorists for us to conduct peaceful elections? For God’s sake, what have the troops been using to fight Boko Haram for the 8 months that Buhari has been President? It is on record that Buhari has not bought a single pistol for the troops. Yet, he came forward to push another propaganda that he has won the war against Boko Haram.

RELATED: Jonathan’s Gov’t Bought Arms For The Troops – Femi Fani-Kayode Reveals [WATCH]

Technically, tactically, or tentatively… Whatever the claimed victory over Boko Haram may be, where did they get weapons to fight the war and “win”? Nigerians ought to ask Buhari and his lying minister of Information some basic questions.

To think that Buhari’s government that is selling propaganda, morning, afternoon, evening, and night, that it is fighting corruption is also the government that presents a budget that reveals that nothing less than N4 trillion is designated for corruption in the settling of campaign financing cronies. Imagine this item – cables are going to be laid in the President’s residence to the driver’s room for a whooping N300 million. In fact, the corruption imputed into the budget was so scandalous that Buhari had to shamelessly withdraw the budget from the National Assembly.

RELATED: ‘God punish hypocrites’: Nigerian React To Buhari’s ‘N1.7 Billion Feeding Budget’ [TWEETS]

We need to stop falling for the cheap propaganda by this government that has completely lost its way.

To Buhari, I have a message for him. The world has changed. If you think you can run a government based on propaganda. You will crash and burn. I repeat, the world has changed since 1984. This is the information age. Citizens can publish, information cannot be locked up in a cell.

The author of this piece wishes to remain anonymous. 

The opinions expressed in this piece are solely those of the author.

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