$1bn arms fund went to Defence Ministry, not military services — Buratai

Former Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai (retd.) has said the $1 billion approved for defence procurement during his tenure was released to the Ministry of Defence rather than directly to the Nigerian military services.

Buratai said neither he nor the Nigerian Army, Navy or Air Force received the funds directly.

He made the clarification while speaking at a Defence Correspondents Association of Nigeria conference in Abuja.

The former Army chief said the money approved by the National Economic Council was managed through the Ministry of Defence, which he said handled the procurement process.

Buratai addresses long-running arms fund controversy

The former Army chief was responding to longstanding controversy surrounding the $1 billion defence procurement fund.

Buratai said allegations that the money had been diverted emerged prominently around the 2019 election period.

He rejected claims that he or the service chiefs controlled the fund and maintained that the military services did not have the money in their accounts or issue procurement instructions for it.

According to him, accountability over the procurement process should therefore focus on the institution responsible for managing the funds.

Buratai also criticised what he described as inadequate public explanation of how the money was spent and how contracts were awarded.

Ex-Army chief calls for greater procurement transparency

Buratai called for the creation of a defence procurement transparency portal that would make certain information about military contracts available to the public without compromising national security.

He proposed that such a system should publish broad information about contracts, organisations handling procurements and expected delivery timelines.

The former Army chief argued that greater institutional transparency could prevent military commanders from being blamed for procurement decisions they did not directly control.

His comments represent his account of how the $1 billion fund was handled and do not, on their own, constitute an independent audit of the expenditure.

The controversy surrounding defence procurement has remained an issue of public interest because of Nigeria’s continuing security challenges and the amount of public funding committed to military equipment.