Presidency refutes claims made by London Telegraph
Tue Aug 02, 2016 10:51:am National
1.4K By Buchi Obichie
A report by British news house, London Telegraph, that children in Northern Nigeria were faced with death by starvation, has been vehemently refuted by the Presidency.
The Presidency also recalled an earlier report by the London Telegraph which stated that President Buhari diverted money meant to fight Boko Haram to persecuting his political adversaries; describing it as grossly incorrect.
Reacting on Monday, the Presidency stated that such reports were injurious to the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, and invited the Telegraph to visit Nigeria and find out the true situation of things.
In a statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, the Presidency said: "The London Telegraph's article "Children Face Death by Starvation in Northern Nigeria" (30th July, 2016) repeats a claim from an earlier piece "Nigeria Using UK Aid to Persecute President's Political Foes" (12th April, 2016) that Nigeria is diverting UK aid monies away from defeating the Islamist terror group, Boko Haram, towards those the newspaper identifies as political opponents of the administration. This is as incorrect as it is unhelpful.
"These claims in both articles are attributed to an unnamed "source" in the United States, and "Western officials." Yet, when the first article was published, it drew the condemnation of the US Embassy in Abuja as having drawn conclusions directly opposite to the position of the US government."
"To state the facts: the UK government does not give development aid to the Nigerian administration for use in military operations against Boko Haram. Where British military support such as intelligence is provided, it is precisely and only given for operations directly against Boko Haram.
"Similarly, the Nigerian government is in no position to divert aid monies used for emergency relief for refugees or IDPs camps for any other purpose, as these are dispensed directly by DFID, USAID, the United Nations, the International Red Cross, Doctors without Borders and many other organizations with which we enjoy excellent relations.
"The humanitarian situation in these camps is real. The administration remains deeply concerned about the medical, health and nutrition challenges and we are doing everything with the limited resources we have at our disposal to improve the situation.
"However, the blame for the plight of refugees lies with Boko Haram. They are its cause, not the Nigerian government.''
Shehu, who, however, regretted the recent attacks on the United Nations humanitarian convoy in the North East, assured that the rapid response of the Nigerian troops that repelled the attacks was an evidence of a cordial relationship between the Nigerian government and the humanitarian agencies.
Reports that the Buhari-administration was targeting Christians and the opposition were also dismissed by the Presidential Spokesman, who stressed that the composition of Buhari's cabinet took into consideration the country's ethnic and religious spread.
The Presidency also recalled an earlier report by the London Telegraph which stated that President Buhari diverted money meant to fight Boko Haram to persecuting his political adversaries; describing it as grossly incorrect.
Reacting on Monday, the Presidency stated that such reports were injurious to the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, and invited the Telegraph to visit Nigeria and find out the true situation of things.
In a statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, the Presidency said: "The London Telegraph's article "Children Face Death by Starvation in Northern Nigeria" (30th July, 2016) repeats a claim from an earlier piece "Nigeria Using UK Aid to Persecute President's Political Foes" (12th April, 2016) that Nigeria is diverting UK aid monies away from defeating the Islamist terror group, Boko Haram, towards those the newspaper identifies as political opponents of the administration. This is as incorrect as it is unhelpful.
"These claims in both articles are attributed to an unnamed "source" in the United States, and "Western officials." Yet, when the first article was published, it drew the condemnation of the US Embassy in Abuja as having drawn conclusions directly opposite to the position of the US government."
"To state the facts: the UK government does not give development aid to the Nigerian administration for use in military operations against Boko Haram. Where British military support such as intelligence is provided, it is precisely and only given for operations directly against Boko Haram.
"Similarly, the Nigerian government is in no position to divert aid monies used for emergency relief for refugees or IDPs camps for any other purpose, as these are dispensed directly by DFID, USAID, the United Nations, the International Red Cross, Doctors without Borders and many other organizations with which we enjoy excellent relations.
"The humanitarian situation in these camps is real. The administration remains deeply concerned about the medical, health and nutrition challenges and we are doing everything with the limited resources we have at our disposal to improve the situation.
"However, the blame for the plight of refugees lies with Boko Haram. They are its cause, not the Nigerian government.''
Shehu, who, however, regretted the recent attacks on the United Nations humanitarian convoy in the North East, assured that the rapid response of the Nigerian troops that repelled the attacks was an evidence of a cordial relationship between the Nigerian government and the humanitarian agencies.
Reports that the Buhari-administration was targeting Christians and the opposition were also dismissed by the Presidential Spokesman, who stressed that the composition of Buhari's cabinet took into consideration the country's ethnic and religious spread.
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