FG says US congressman, Tom Marino comments against Buhari are out of reality

The Minister said by asking the
US to refrain from selling
warplanes and other military
equipment to Nigeria based on
a faulty premise, the
Congressman has
demonstrated a poor
understanding of global
security issues.
''Insecurity anywhere is
insecurity everywhere.
Had Congressman Marino
understood this, he
would not have made the
kind of call he made
concerning the US
security assistance to
Nigeria. The Boko Haram
insurgency that Nigeria
has decisively dealt with
under President
Muhammadu Buhari is
not just a Nigerian
problem but a regional
and international crisis,''
he said.
Lai said Congressman Marino
definitely did not have Nigeria
in mind when he wrote that the
US should withhold security
assistance to Nigeria until
President Buhari 'demonstrates
a commitment to inclusive
government and the most basic
tenets of democracy: freedom
to assemble and freedom of
speech'.
''An Administration that
operates purely on the
basis of respect for the
rule of law and a strict
adherence to
constitutional order is not
one to deny the citizens
of their constitutionally-
guaranteed rights. This
Administration therefore
does not need the
goading of Congressman
Marino or anyone for that
matter to do what is
right. Concerning running
an inclusive government,
had Congressman Marino
done his home work
before dispatching his
letter, he would have
realized that no part of
the country is left out in
the distribution of
political appointments, for
example, or in the
appointment of Ministers,
which was done in
accordance with the
Constitution that
mandates that the
President must appoint at
least one minister from
each of the 36 states and
the Federal Capital
Territory. Had the
Congressman sought
information from credible
sources before engaging
in a flight of fancy, he
would have been
presented with a
comprehensive
information on the
appointment of CEOs for
Federal Government's
parastatals, agencies and
commissions that shows
that the appoints were
almost evenly matched
along the line of the six
geo-political zones in the
country: With the North
West having 51, North
Central 46, North East 45,
South East 41, South West
45 and South South 45,''
he said. ''The
Congressman may wish
to note that each geo-
political zone comprises 6
states, with the exception
of North West (7) and
South East (5).''
The Minister described
Congressman Marino's
description of the
Administration's anti-
corruption efforts as 'selective'
as a tired argument that clearly
shows that the US lawmaker
must have appended his
signature to someone's
concocted line.
''That line was invented
by those seeking to cause
an unnecessary
distraction from the
Administration's anti-
corruption efforts, and it
has been roundly
rejected. Congressman
Marino's decision to
exhume the dead
postulation without an
iota of proof is a
reflection of whose side
he has taken in the
ongoing efforts to rid
Nigeria of corrupt
elements. Needless to say
that the anti-corruption
battle will continue
unhindered, irrespective
of whose ox is gored.
And in this fight, only the
guilty needs be afraid,'' he
said.