Fani-Kayode Urges Nigeria To Shun US In The Fight Against Terror
I have said it over and over again to those that matter in this
government, that it’s time for us to begin to talk to the Russians, talk
to the Chinese to supply what we need to to be able to prosecute our
own war”, he insisted.
Mr Fani-Kayode, who re-iterated the fact that “we are in a middle of a
war”, alleged that “there is some level of conspiracy in the
international community, particularly the Americans, who refused to
honour their obligations to us in terms of procurement of arms”, also
alleging that “that there is an unofficial embargo on us (Nigerians)
imposed covertly and quietly by the Americans.
“The Americans also refused to categorise and label Boko Haram as a
terrorist organisation, up until they killed 15, 000 Nigerians. They
reneged on all their satelite agreements that they will give us
pictures; they didn’t help us at all and I am saying this an individual
who is privy to some of these things”, he said on Sunrise Daily on
Wednesday.
Mr Fani-Kayode further alleged that “the Americans, despite the fact
that they have declared a war against terror, the same Americans
supported what is today Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and al
Nusra in their fight against Bashir al Assad’s circular government, whom
war was being waged against by al Nusra and ISIS.
“The narrative is so clear. The Americans have a record of saying one
thing; you sometimes arm those you are supposed to be fighting”, he
said, advising people to “never take the word of America or any western
government at face value; look at their actions.
He also accused “some key members” of the All Progressives Congress
(APC), whom he agreed to name only at a public debate, of colluding with
the South African President, Jacob Zuma, to embarrass the Nigerian
security agency’s effort in fighting crime by seizing some funds meant
for purchasing arms and ammunition.
“There are elements in this country, some of them within the
opposition party, are very close to President (Jacob) Zuma”, alleging
that they “funded his campaign”, he said.
Though he agreed that the Nigerian security services had made a
“mistake” in the previous transaction, where $9.3 million cash was
ferried in a jet to purchase arms in South Africa and was seized, he
insisted that “there was nothing fundamentally serious to begin to tell
the world that we are a nation of money launderers, arm dealers and
shady characters, pastors, presidents and Christian Association of
Nigeria, who are just flying money over the world.
He argued that the $5.7 million seized by South African officials
“was paid for arms in order to assist in the struggle against Boko
Haram” adding that “it was a simple transaction of a Nigerian company
that entered into an agreement with a foreign company which was
apparently based in South Africa”, insisting that “the monies were
transferred in the normal way.
“Unfortunately, the South African company could not come up with the
goods, the couldn’t deliver the weapons and the company that negotiated
for the deal asked for their money back and the company refunded the
money.
“In the course of refunding the money, the South African authorities
decided to grab the money and hold on to it and yet again raises
questions over the propriety of our country and the integrity of our
security services”, he said.
He however agreed that the Nigerian authorities were at fault not to
have declared the seized $9.3 million adding that “it is now a question
of negotiation between the two countries as to how to get it back.
He further noted that “these sort of things (movement of high volumes
of cash) happens all the time, because there is nothing illegal about
it”, adding that “when you are in a middle of a war, it is bound to
happen.
He went down memory lane to remind Nigerians that “it happened when
we were fighting a war in Liberia, it happened when our boys were
fighting in Sierra Leone, it happened when our boys were fighting in
Chad, during (Shehu) Shagari’s regime, it happened under Abacha when we
had a war effort, though thankfully it didn’t come to an actual war and
it happened under successive governments”.
Mr Fani-Kayode, who insisted that there is nothing illegal in such
covert transactions”, maintained that “these things are best explained
and defended by the intelligence agencies”, adding that “they have their
code of conduct and the way they operate”.
“$10 million is not that much when it comes to buying sophisticated arms and helicopters”, he said.
The former aviation chief also noted that since Nigeria was declared
the largest economy in Africa, South Africa has in every point in time
tried to discredit and make Nigeria look like it is country full of
criminals.
He also alleged that the South Africans seized and exposed the arms
deal “simply to embarrass our government, embarrass our security
agencies and to ensure that it puts another obstacle to our effort to
prosecute our war and procure arms for ourselves.
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