‘How we spent funds for military operations’, Buratai replies SERAP, EiE, BudgIT

Chief of Army Staff of Nigeria, Lt. General Tukur Yusuf Buratai
has responded to the joint Freedom of Information request by
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), Enough is
Enough (EiE), and BudgIT requesting him to use his “good offices
and leadership position to provide information on spending on
military operations across the country, particularly in the
Northeast.”

This development was disclosed today in a statement on behalf of
the civil society groups by SERAP senior legal adviser Bamisope
Adeyanju. According to her, “the bulky photographic and textual
documentation with a cover letter dated 24 December 2018 was
delivered to SERAP’s office last Friday by a military officer at
around 11:40am.”

The letter with reference number AHQDCMA/G4/100/4 and signed on
Mr Buratai’s behalf by Brigadier-General S.B. Kumapayi read in
part: “The Nigerian Army (NA) has in recent time come under
unrelenting public scrutiny by both private individuals and
Non-governmental organizations over issues of appropriation of
funds. The most recent being a call from your organization for the
Nigerian Army to explain how funds appropriated for the NA under
the administration of the Chief of Army Staff were utilized.”

“In view of the above, I am directed to forward the
above-mentioned document to your office for your perusal and
retention. Please accept the esteemed regards and assurance of the
Chief of Army Staff.”

Bamisope Adeyanju, on behalf of the civil society groups, said:
“This is a joint FOI request involving EiE and BudgIT and not just
SERAP. Therefore, our groups will carefully study the letter and
documentation by Mr Buratai to see if details of the information
provided meet the requirements of our request and then promptly
respond to him, as appropriate.”

“While we ascertain the level of compliance of the information
provided, we welcome Mr Buratai’s demonstrated commitment to the
Freedom of Information Act by responding to our request, especially
at a time when high-ranking government officials including the
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Audu Ogbeh and
Minister of Power, Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola continue to
exhibit blatant disregard for FOI requests by refusing to even
acknowledge several of such requests.”

“The National Assembly, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation
(NNPC), ministries, agencies and departments should also learn from
the good example shown by Mr Buratai by at least honouring and
responding to FOI requests from Nigerians, NGOs and others if they
are ever to contribute to the efforts to achieve greater level of
transparency and accountability in Nigeria.”

According to SERAP, “a quick look at the documentation shows a
list of several projects reportedly implemented by the Nigerian
Army. Among those listed and displayed, which appeared to show
certain projects the Nigerian Army said it carried out with
budgeted funds, include: places where operations were carried out;
renovation of barracks and military hospitals, spending to honour
late soldiers; trainings and workshops; repairs of some old
military equipment; and completion of offices and housing projects.
Others are feeding of soldiers; building of new barracks and
schools; acquisition of arms and ammunition and vehicles for
military operations; as well as provision of welfare for
soldiers.”

It would be recalled that SERAP, EiE and BudgIT had in a joint
FOI request asked Mr Buratai to use his good offices and leadership
position to “urgently provide information on the 2015, 2016 and
2017 budget implementation reports of the Nigerian Army, including
the amounts released (financial implications) and expended in
fiscal years 2015, 2016 and 2017 for the various operations the
Army carried out.”

The groups also urged Mr Buratai to furnish them with “the
amounts released (financial implications) and expended in fiscal
years 2015, 2016 and 2017 for: Operation Lafiya Dole, Operation
Safe Haven, Operation Python Dance, Operation Ruwan Wuta, Operation
Delta Safe, Operation Mesa, Operation Harbin Kunama, Operation
Awatse, Operation Tsera Teku and Operation Crocodile Smile.”

The FOI request sent December 2018 and signed by Bamisope
Adeyanju of SERAP, Seun Akinyemi of EiE and Atiku Samuel of BudgIT,
read in part: “Transparency of the budget process and its
implementation is an essential condition to achieve good
governance. The reports, if provided and published, will shed light
on military spending and put to rest once and for all the perceived
lack of transparency and accountability in the spending of military
budgets, which has been a subject of intense public debate and
concern.”

“If the requested information is not provided within 14 days of
the receipt and/or publication of this letter, our organizations
shall take all appropriate legal action under the Freedom of
Information Act to compel you to comply with our request.”

“Several billions of naira allocated to the military to defend
the country and protect its people have neither contributed to
improving the ability of Nigerian soldiers to fight Boko Haram and
other armed groups nor provided the much-needed security especially
for Nigerians in the North-east of the country.”

“The information being requested does not come within the
purview of the types of information exempted from disclosure by the
provisions of the FOI Act. The information requested for, apart
from not being exempted from disclosure under the FOI Act, would
serve the national interest, public welfare, public interest and
peace, human rights, good governance, transparency and
accountability.”

“By virtue of Section 1(1) of the Freedom of Information Act,
2011, we are entitled as of right to request for or gain access to
information, including information on 2015, 2016 and 2017 budget
implementation reports of the Nigerian Army, and the amounts
released (financial implications) and expended in fiscal years
2015, 2016 and 2017 for the various operations listed, which have
yielded no tangible result.”

“Also, by virtue of Section 4(a) of the FOI Act, when a person
makes a request for information from a public official, institution
or agency, the public official, institution or agency to whom the
application is directed is under a binding legal obligation to
provide the applicant with the information requested for, except as
otherwise provided by the Act, within 7 days after the application
is received.”