We don’t need foreign aid – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari believes Nigeria does not
need foreign aid if the world powers can help her plug all
the loopholes that had been used by government officials to
steal her assets.
A Presidency official on Buhari’s four-day visit to the United
States (US), which ended on Wednesday, quoted the
President, yesterday, as telling US officials that Nigeria has
the resources to stand on her feet, and that the world
powers should help her.
In the meantime, Nigeria is to draw down investments and
cash worth $13.6 billion following negotiations and
understanding reached by Buhari with the American
government during the visit, Sunday Vanguard learnt,
yesterday.
The President met with US President Barack Obama, Vice
President Joe Biden, among many other top functionaries,
during the visit.
“Buhari did not go to the US with a begging bowl. We don’t
need foreign aid, he told everyone, so long as the world
powers can help us plug all the loopholes that had been
used to steal our assets,” Mallam Garba Shehu, Senior
Special Assistant to President Buhari on Publicity, disclosed
to Sunday Vanguard.
Whereas the President said, during the visit, that about $150
billion is stolen annually from Nigeria and many other
African countries, the Presidency official said, ”Americans
hold the view that between $10 billion and $20 billion dollars
is lost annually through the crude oil sector alone.”
He quoted his boss as saying: ”There is no organisation or
government (across the world) that can give us (Nigeria) $5
billion. If we plug our loopholes and recover stolen money
stashed abroad, Nigeria will do well by herself.”
A breakdown of the $13.6 billion earmarked for Nigeria,
courtesy of the Buhari US visit, shows that $5 billion is
coming for investments in the power sector, another $5
billion is to fund investments in the agricultural sector, $1.5
billion is from the Bill Gates Foundation while $2.1 billion is
being provided by the World Bank.
Of particular interest is the discovery that the huge sums
being brought for investments into the country, according to
the Presidency official, attract no counterpart funding.
Similarly, in its efforts to assist Nigeria eradicate polio, the
Bill Gates Foundation, which is revving its support with
additional $1.2 billion, is extending its areas of coverage to
four more states – Kaduna, Sokoto, Borno and Yobe.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President described
Buhari’s outing in the U.S as a monumental success.
According to him, no Nigerian leader ever achieved that kind
of success in one visit.
Shehu said: ” From our point of view, no past President of
this country has ever netted these for Nigeria from a single
U.S. trip. Overall, it is a resounding success.
“The clamour for President Buhari was astounding. He was
gone after by every member of the United States
establishment. He met Secretary of State John Kerry, Vice
President Joe Biden and the President of the United States,
Barack Obama.
“I am not sure there was any past Nigerian President who
met as many a number of Secretaries of U.S. Departments
as Buhari did and, in all of these meetings, the personal
integrity of President Buhari came through.”