President Muhammadu Buhari says the country cannot afford to sweep under the rug the alleged diversion of $2 billion meant for arms procurement.

Buhari said the string of revelations of corruption at the ongoing investigation into the arms procurement probe, shows a clear betrayal of trust by those empowered to purchase equipment for the military.

Speaking on Wednesday, at a presidential dinner he hosted in honour of members of the House of Representatives at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Buhari said his administration will not keep quiet about some of the revelations.

He said the most pressing problem currently facing the country “is the Boko Haram issue.” while adding that the “objective of his administration is to first secure the country and then proceed to efficiently manage it.”

“We expended the meagre resources we have to ensure the morale of the military is raised by getting officers to be on the ground with the men. But unfortunately for us, as a people, there was an abuse of trust at various levels which cost Nigeria a lot of lives and goodwill.

“So, we cannot keep quiet about this. It is very unfortunate. It is a known fact that Nigeria earned its respect from Burma to Zaire to Liberia to Sierra Leone. But it reached a stage where the Nigerian military could not secure 14 out of the nation’s 774 local governments.”

“Let us make up our minds that whatever we are doing, we are doing it for this country. Let us secure the country first. Let us efficiently manage the country.

“That was why I was up and down to Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Benin and Germany to meet the leaders of G7 and the leaders of the international community to put our case forward which is very well known.

“If in the capital of a developed country, 130 people were killed, who is Nigeria? We have a problem, but we are very lucky that the intention of the terrorists is to divide the country but I think they have misfired.”

Kolapo Olapoju