Officials in charge of the financial strings in some African countries have expressed concern over what they see as Nigeria’s desire to begin massive cuts on its foreign expenses. They worry that if this happens, the annual Budget of the African Union, AU, will be hit because the country contributes the lion share of the continental body’s expenses. The apprehension followed the meeting of some African Finance Ministers in Abuja, at the weekend.
But the officials do not as yet have tangible clues to draw their conclusions from. They merely cited the remarks by an aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, Senator Ita Enang. Senator Enang had merely said that President Buhari would not spend the $1 billion from the nation’s Excess Crude Oil Account, ECA, to meet Nigeria’s expenses at the AU and fund the fight against insecurity unless he receives approval from the National Assembly.
The presidential aide was compelled to expatiate further, “I want to clarify that none of these monies will be used by Mr. President, the Foreign Ministry, the military or released for any purpose unless and until the money is appropriated by the National Assembly,” Mr. Enang, who assists the president on National Assembly matters, said in Abuja.
Before embarking on its recess last December, the Senate had asked the President not to spend the money without appropriation by the National Assembly. Nigerians have expressed divergent opinions on the government’s intention to withdraw the money which it said would be used to fight Boko Haram and other forms of insecurity in the different parts of the country as well as to pay its obligations to the AU.
In the clarification, Senator Enang explained, “I will say that the 2018 budget is still before the National Assembly. There is no need for our African brothers to be unduly worried about our role in the AU. If we conclude the tallying to know what the different armed services would need, the army, the air force, and the navy, and the police, and others, we will then present that to the National Assembly, and we will only implement it subject to what they have approved.”
