$1bn B’haram fund: Don’t divert fund, Ilorin NBA chairmen tell Buhari

Stating that they had confidence in Buhari, they urged the President to ensure that his aides and associates did not use the fund for other purposes. They spoke on the sidelines of the branch’s annual Bar dinner on Saturday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. Balogun and Issa said Buhari must ensure transparency in the use of the fund, advising the President to ensure that the money was approved by the National Assembly. Jawondo stated that since Nigeria had not totally defeated Boko Haram, it was imperative to still upgrade the nation’s military architecture. He said, “The money must not be meant for 2019 elections. It should be spent for the purpose which they told us. It will have a multiplier effect on the security of the country.” Issa cautioned that the money must not be diverted to political activities. He said, “I am surprised that $1bn is allocated to the same insurgency that we were told has been decimated. However, there is nothing wrong in upgrading a country’s military standing to defend the territorial integrity of a country, but I think the right people must be put in the right places. “If the money will be appropriately utilised to upgrade the country’s military, it is okay. The country needs huge finance for infrastructure upgrade, but unfortunately, we found ourselves in this situation because in the past, the country’s army was not adequately taken care off. “Money allocated to the military was diverted for political purposes. I hope it will not repeat itself again. Buhari must ensure transparency and the money must not be diverted.” The Chief Judge of Kwara State, Justice Sulyman Kawu, who was represented by one of the judges in the state, Justice Adenike Akinpelu, said all was not well with the judiciary. He stated that there had, in recent times, been a decline in standard, etiquette and character in the legal profession, which he noted, had been giving members of both the Bar and the Bench a bad image. He stated that in the same vein, members of the bench in judgement, should desist from using uncouth and indecorous language against members of the Bar appearing in proceedings before them. Kawu said, “By this, I must not be misunderstood to say that judge cannot, when appropriate and in a decent language, deprecate and admonish a counsel who conducts himself in a manner unbecoming of a member of the noble profession. “In correcting one another, members of both the Bar and bench must bear in mind the larger image of the legal profession and the indelible negative impressions which unguarded comments may have on members of the general public.”]]>