The Presidency has accused the London Telegraph of strengthening Boko Haram terrorists operating in Nigeria.
In a statement issued on Monday by SSA Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, Garba Shehu, the Presidency said the news journal demonstrated this with its latest article titled ‘Children Face Death by Starvation in Northern Nigeria’, which was published on July 30, 2016.
The statement said London Telegraph repeated a claim from an earlier piece titled ‘Nigeria Using UK Aid to Persecute President’s Political Foes’ published April 12, 2016.
In the April article, the paper alleged that Nigeria was diverting UK aid monies away from defeating the Islamist terror group Boko Haram towards political opponents of the Administration.
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, the Presidency said.
The statement said 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 IDP 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, Shehu stressed.
He posited that 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.
In the light of on-going efforts, we regret the recent attack on the UN humanitarian convoy in the North-eastern region and are encouraged by the world body’s determination to continue rendering assistance to the displaced victims.
That the attack was repelled by Nigerian troops escorting the convoy shows precisely how the Government and humanitarian agencies are working together.
As for claims that the Administration is targeting Christians and the opposition, these are without foundation.
Since assuming office, President Buhari has treated all Nigerians without bias for ethnicity or religion – as the composition of his cabinet and the policies and programmes of his Administration demonstrate.
To suggest his government as deepening Muslim-Christian division is not only untrue, but plays into the hands of Boko Haram who wish to divide Nigerians along religious lines. Fighting this group is key priority of President Buhari’s Administration. Indeed the international community has widely acknowledged his determination to defeat terrorism in Nigeria and the entire Lake Chad Basin.
There is nothing to gain by attempting to mould public opinion against these facts. Therefore we invite The Telegraph to visit Nigeria: to witness first hand not only the challenges we face, but the Administration’s determination to confront them.
