Tobias Sylvester
President Muhammadu Buhari has taken a swipe at foreign aid agencies for lying about spending hundreds of millions of dollars to help internally displaced persons (IDP) in Nigeria.
Buhari, who spoke during a meeting with the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) on Wednesday, October 9, 2019, said the millions of naira most foreign aid agencies claimed to have spent on internally displaced persons have rarely had an impact. He said:
“Today, we hear international organizations claiming to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on IDPs in the North East. But when you visit the camps, you rarely see the impact.
“In 2017, when the National Emergency Management Agency took over the feeding of some IDPs in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, the amount we spent was significantly lower than the claims made by these international organizations.
“Therefore, actionable data is critical to implement effective strategies to address pressing problems such as these humanitarian issues. I, therefore, look forward to receiving your baseline study as this will help us shape ideas for a sustainable and prosperous future.”
Meanwhile, President Buhari also slammed the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other foreign agencies, saying most of the statistics the present about Nigeria are wild and unrealistic.
He charged the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) to come up with data and statistics that will show a true reflection of the state of affairs in the country.
