Nigeria’s Vice President , Prof Yemi Osinbajo, has refuted the statement credited to him that Boko Haram insurgents planned to attack VIPs in the country.
This clarification was made by him in Ibadan yesterday during a private visit.
He said, “What was said is that the Boko Haram insurgents in the North East are using people called ‘Babambola’ (scavengers) to try and plant explosive devices here and there. I did not say that they would be planted in the houses of VIPs.”
The Vice President, therefore, enjoined the people to be more vigilant as not to fall prey to the insurgents.
He also urged the states that received bail-out of $2.1billion to utilise the fund for its purpose and judiciously. He noted that the 40 per cent drop in federal allocation to states caused by the crash in the price of crude oil was capable of paralysing state finances.
In his own words: “As you know, the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari directed that three things should be done regarding the situation of the states in Nigeria. We know that the states were unable to pay salaries of their workers for many months.
“The first stage was the sum of money that was shared from the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas dividends and taxes.
The second package is a loan which the states are allowed to access. The loans are concessionary in nature and any state that deserves it should have it.”
“The third stage is the conversion of loans owed to commercial banks by the states to bonds.
It is fairly complicated but simply put: The states and Federal Government will work out how the loan will be repaid over an extended period of time. We are looking at 15 to 20 year period.”
“Some have described this as bailout but what Buhari has done is an extremely creative and compassionate way of giving relief to states as much as possible, given the financial circumstances they found themselves,” Osinbajo said.
