Nigerian Defence Headquarters on Monday, revealed that at least $2 billion dollars (about N826 billion), would be needed yearly, to tackle the worsening insecurity in the country.

The Director of Production, Defence Headquarters, Air Vice Marshall M. A. Yakubu, who made the disclosure during the public hearing on the Armed Forces Support Trust Fund Bill said even the sources of funding which the Bill prescribes were insufficient to address the problem.

The public hearing was organized by the House of Representatives Committee on Defence.

Yakubu said the projection for the funding for the Bill is about N100 billion per year.

This, he said, was still inadequate even if it is eventually achieved when the Bill becomes law.

“I have been a defence attache with the United States from 2014 to 2017. I have been a Director of Procurement at the headquarters of the Nigerian Airforce for another two years. I have been a chief of logistics also at the headquarters Nigerian Airforce for another two years. So I am fully conversant with what it takes to run the affairs of a fighting airforce. I also understand the limitations we have in Nigeria and what it should have been. I want you to understand how large is this problem we are trying to address before I make my point.

Every year, how do we get our budget, capital budget specifically? An arbitrary envelope is simply thrown at us. This year for example, your budget cap should be be N20 billion. It does not take into consideration what are the actually needs. What do you need to meet those needs. Now that is one, secondly, we are all aware of the exchange rate fluctuations. We have run into problems where even working with approved budget envelopes, we have gone ahead to sign contracts for procurement of equipment and suddenly the exchange rate collapses on us and we are unable to fund it. We have found ourselves every year running back to the Federal government for interventions. This is not sustainable.

The next thing I want to talk about is the cost of equipment. Talking from the point of view of an Airforce officer, who has been involved in procurement of equipment. Let me give you an example. The procurement of the 12 Super Tucano Aircraft cost approximately $500 million. Now this is a package. The United States would not sell equipment to you and just give you the equipment there. There must be support package for a minimum of three years. There must be training and other things. That total package came to that amount. How many years would it take you to budget?

The maximum we have received from 2017 to date we have received in capital allocation for the airforce was about N44 billion per annum. Convert that at the current exchange rate. How many years do you need to gather 500 million dollars to buy just 12 aircrafts? Look at the expanse of land we are required to cover? Nigeria is over 920, 000 square km. Every inch of the land needs to be covered by either surveillance or capability to attack. Where can you get those equipment to cover this land. Even the northeast alone, how much does it take to maintain even existing aircrafts? Because of this, I sincerely believe that the sources we are considering for this Bill are grossly inadequate. Let us look at it.

Last time about two weeks ago we had a brief discussion of what we intend to generate from this. We are estimating something in the range of N100 billion per annum. Convert that to dollars because virtually all the equipment are imported. This will go nowhere. And it would not address the problem we are seeking to address unless we expand the sources. Nigerians I know are tired of being asked to pay for something. The level of poverty everybody appreciates is severe. However nobody wants to sleep with only one eye closed. Everybody is scared of traveling on the road because of insecurity. Therefore I would urge that all stakeholders must educate citizens to understand the need to sacrifice because if we do not do that to address this problem sincerely speaking would continue to be a mirage.”

He also called for the improvement in the percentage of various areas that are expected to fund the trust fund.

“If we are not able to raise a minimum of $2 billion dollars per annum in the next three years for a start, subsequently maybe we can begin to taper down the percentages. But for a start we need a bulk sum because of many of these manufacturers of equipment require 100 percent down payment to even start production. So you cannot sign a contract example with the US manufacturers and pay 15 percent mobilization as required by the procurement act. Nobody would look at you. Their terms must be followed. Many times we are asked to pay 100 per cent. The example is the super tucano. This one is on government to government. They insisted 100 payment within 30 days. No budgetary allocation would fund that,” he said.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors have called for the restructuring of the country that will see to devolution of more powers and functions to states.

This, was amongst several resolutions reached by the governors who rose from a meeting on Monday in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The meeting, which was presided by the Chairman of the PDP’s Governors’ Forum and Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal also backed the recent resolution by Southern Governors Forum on open grazing saying ranching is the only solution to the persistent herders/farmers clashes in the country.

Tambuwal, in communique at the end of the one-day consultative meeting, advised President Muhammad Buhari to immediately send an executive bill to the National Assembly to amend the country’s Constitution to devolve more powers to the States, with respect to security arrangements culminating in some form of State Policing and the general security architecture.

“In the interim, Mr President should summon an immediate meeting of the Nigerian Police Council, which comprises Mr President and all State Governors and other critical stakeholders to evolve and implement strategies to combat the present threats to our union, especially with respect to policing.”

“the Police Force still remains the appropriate institution to secure our democracy and should not be subjected to personal attacks. The welfare, training, equipment, funding of all security agencies should be given priority.”

Governors at the meeting are Sokoto state governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Governor of Bayelsa, Senator Douye Diri, Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, Governor of Adamawa, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, Enugu state Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, Akwa Ibom, Udoh Emmanuel, Rivers State Governor, Nyesome Wike, Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki and Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State.

Zamfara State was represented by the deputy governor, Mahdi Gusau. States not represented are Abia, Cross River and Taraba.

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State on Monday urged residents of his state to defend themselves against any armed invader.

Ortom made the remark while reacting to questions from journalists on his arrival to Makurdi from Oyo State where he attended the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ meeting, said people need to rise up against unnecessary invasion of their homes.”Our people should defend themselves,” he said.

The governor, who was obviously angry about fresh killings allegedly perpetrated by suspected armed herders in parts of the state, stressed that it was time for people to rise up against such criminality.

Speaking on the Governors meeting, he disclosed that the forum has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to give attention to security.

He said, “We (PDP Governors’) have affirmed our position on the southern Governors’ decision banning open grazing of animals. We hope that we shall join hands together with the president to address the matter. There is no way we can do it without the president because more power is at the centre. We have work to do with the President”.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday grilled the immediate past governor of Kwara, Abdulfatah Ahmed, over alleged diversion of the state’s funds when he served for eight years.

A top official of the commission, who does not want his name in print, hinted newsmen that the former governor honoured an invitation extended to him and he was still being quizzed as at the time of filing this report.

The anti-graft agency’s spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, in a telephone interview with our correspondent confirmed Abdulfatah’s presence at the headquarters of the commission in Abuja.

When asked why he was invited, Uwujaren said he was invited to help the commission in its ongoing investigation. It was unclear whether he would be released this night or not.

Members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) are currently on the streets of Kaduna for the strike declared against the state government over what the union described as anti-labour policies of the Kaduna State Government.

Recall that NLC declared strike after the government failed to reverse the mass sack of workers.

The train station at Rigasa has been fully shut while the Kaduna State secretariat, which houses about 10 ministries, is under lock and key.

Officials of different workers group have been enforcing compliance with the strike.

Before the workers hit the streets, Comrade Ayuba Sulieman, NLC Chairman in Kaduna, addressed members of affiliated unions.

Comrade Ayuba Wabba, NLC President, later joined the protesters at the state secretariat of the union.

Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi on Sunday revealed that several Boko Haram commanders are willing to surrender and urged the federal government to use proper engagement to negotiate with the group.

Gumi, who spoke to newsmen in Kaduna yesterday after hosting the released students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka, Kaduna also reiterated his call on the government to negotiate with bandits.

The cleric noted that information at his disposal revealed that many Boko Haram commanders were willing to surrender and be integrated into society.

He further disclosed that the bandits were also putting pressure on him to assist them with amnesty.

But with Boko Haram although we have reliable information from some contacts too that many of their commanders want to surrender; So, I think that with serious engagement and government involvement in these issues on a serious note, I think we will overcome. You see, in Nigeria, we are a tribal society. So, every group has elders that they listen to,” Gumi explained.

Gumi also disclosed that he had reached out to 80 per cent of the bandits’ leaders and they were willing to surrender, adding that the remaining 20 per cent were the ones still causing havoc.

He also argued that the government should engage the bandits and provide them with schools and amnesty so that they could live a normal life.

According to him, the bandits are not more than 100,000, adding that government should be able to provide for their needs.

The cleric revealed that the bandits that kidnapped the Kaduna Greenfield University students have also suspended their initial plan to kill the students and expressed the hope that they will also regain their freedom.

On whether ransom was paid for the release of the school of forestry students, Gumi said his team did not pay any ransom.

He, however, added that some parents, who were impatient, went behind his team to tell the bandits that they were willing to pay.

Gumi pointed out that he did not know if those parents paid ransom or not.

Reacting to the issue of whether the students were molested sexually or not, Gumi disclosed that a notorious bandit who wanted to take away a female student to unknown location to molest her was killed by his colleagues to prove the point that they were not irresponsible but were just agitating for better welfare

According to him, the bandits are different from the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the other groups agitating in the South because they believe in the government of Nigeria and other constituted authorities.

Earlier at the reception he held for the released Afaka students, Gumi asked them to put the ugly past behind them and pursue their education.

“My appeal to government is to engage with the bandits so that the bandits can abandon their ways.

They are already showing signs that they are ready. They have grievances, which I think if we come together we can cure this menace in a very short time,” he said.

He called for the cooperation of governments at all levels to resolve the security challenges.

“We want the cooperation of federal, state and local governments; the clergy and other well-meaning Nigerians should all come together to sit down and talk,” he said.

Asked how he secured the release of the students, Gumi said: “You don’t negotiate with your friend, you negotiate with your enemy. The first thing you do is to try and break the ice and break the barrier between you and the person you are negotiating with and also build confidence by demonstrating that you are not going to cheat them or deceive them.

“If there is that level of communication, then negotiation comes in the third phase.

These are people who have been involved in this kind of criminality for a long time, we have to use psychology on them because it is not possible over night to just consent.

“But preaching to them, admonishing them and showing them the way out of their problems helped a lot in getting them to understand and release these children.”

Also in his remarks former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was represented by Mr. Vitalis Ortese, congratulated everyone for making it possible for the release of the students and expressed the hope that “this will lead to the release of other persons in captivity.”

Speaking on behalf of the parents, Mr. Friday Sani, expressed gratitude to Gumi and Obasanjo for their roles in ensuring the release of the students.

He said: “We are here to appreciate the emancipating team led by Sheikh Gumi. He stood by us to the end. We are happy that our children are back to us.

“The leaders of tomorrow who will make this country proud. We want to give God the glory for what He has done for us.

We are praying that God will help them to overcome the trauma they went through.

“Some of us have been going in and out of hospitals for them to receive proper treatment.

“We need the support of the government to rehabilitate these children so that they will be fit enough to return to school. Today is a happy day for us.”

Meanwhile, the parents have dismissed speculations that the students were sexually molested while in captivity.

Meanwhile, a statement on Sunday in Kaduna, spokesman of the parents, Mr. Abdullahi Usman, said the speculations being circulated online that the students were sexually molested is not true.

Usman said while the parents were basking in the joy of having reunited with their children who were released unharmed.

“On behalf of the parents, we wish to set the records straight and hope that this will end the circulation of the fabrication of the stories. We state in unequivocal terms that none of the 37 kidnapped (now freed) Afaka students were sexually or homosexually molested by the bandits,” he said.