Connect with us

Headlines News

$670m security votes ‘official corruption, abuse of power’ – Transparency International

Published

on

Transparency International says $670 million is shared as Security Votes

Transparency International says $670 million is shared as Security Votes

Transparency International has described the $670 million shared between the federal and state governments of Nigeria as the vehicle for corruption.

On Monday, the anti-corruption group said that Nigeria’s government has in the run-up to elections expanded the use of opaque $670 million-a-year funds to fuel graft.

The funds, known as “security votes”, are a relic of military rule, mainly disbursed in hard cash and nominally released for dealing with unexpected security issues.

They come from both federal and state governments, although the vast majority is disbursed under the latter.

According to Transparency International’s report they have become “synonymous with official corruption and abuse of power”.

Advertisement

The watchdog’s report comes as President Muhammadu Buhari is gearing up to run for a second term in February 2019.

A Nigerian presidency spokesman did not respond to calls and messages seeking comment about the report.

Buhari has built his administration’s policy on the twin pillars of tackling Nigeria’s endemic corruption and restoring stability to the highly insecure country.

Katherine Dixon, Transparency International’s director for defence and security

Katherine Dixon, Transparency International’s director for defence and security

“The security vote is one of the most durable forms of corruption operating in Nigeria today,” said Katherine Dixon, Transparency International’s director for defence and security, in a statement.

“Yet instead of addressing its many urgent threats, the ever-increasing use of security votes is providing corrupt officials with an easy-to-use and entirely hidden slush fund.”

Advertisement

READ: Gross Corruption: JAMB remitted only N52m in 40 years – Oloyede

The group said the spending “is not subject to legislative oversight or independent audit because of its ostensibly sensitive nature”, adding that the funds are channelled into political activities such as election campaigns or embezzled outright.

It said federal-level total spending on items identified as security votes increased by 43 percent in 2018’s budget from 2017 and included payments to a university, a museum commission and a dental technology school.

President Buhari having a chat with the governors after the meeting

Nigerian governors have been accused of cornering security votes for personal use

Reuters checked some of the figures included in Transparency International’s report against a draft version of the 2018 budget, which has not yet been signed into law, and confirmed payments to those recipients were planned and identified as security votes.

Most of the estimated $670 million of security votes is disbursed by state governments, with federal spending making up only $51 million, Transparency International said. State government changes in disbursement varied, according to the report’s data.

Advertisement

Additionally, the largest security votes each year go to security agencies, and such spending under Buhari is less than under his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, the report acknowledged.

“Today, security votes are budgetary black boxes that are ripe for abuse by politicians seeking reelection or officials looking to run for political office,” Transparency International said.

Although a number of former government officials have faced criminal charges related to alleged corruption since Buhari came to power, corruption is still rife in Nigeria.

The opposition People’s Democratic Party, in power for 16 years prior to Buhari taking office in 2015, has accused the president of focusing on its members.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Copyright © 2015 - 2024 ChronicleNG

Discover more from Chronicle.ng

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading