A former presidential aide, Reno Omokri says it makes no sense that Nigeria plans to borrow $1.2 billion from Brazil but has refused to curb wastage of national resources.
He stated this in a Facebook post on Wednesday night while bemoaning the large size of Nigeria’s Presidential Air Fleet and the high cost of maintaining the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Earlier this month, the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, said that the Federal Government was seeking a fresh $1.2 billion loan from Brazil to finance agricultural programmes in the 2021 budget.
She said that when obtained, the loan would go into addressing the whole of the agricultural value chain from mechanisation, production, processing, and selling.
Reacting, Omokri said that a nation servicing 10 presidential jets should not be borrowing from another maintaining just two.
The US-based pastor wrote, “If I were President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil, I would be wondering why a country whose President has 10 Presidential jets, would want to borrow money from a country whose President has just 2.
“Why not first consider other options of raising funds, like selling 9 of them? The Brazilian Presidency has just 2 jets, one for domestic travel, and another for international. This is to save costs.
“General Buhari budgeted ₦4.6 billion ($12 million) to maintain Aso Rock. That is $1 million monthly. I researched. President Bolsonaro of Brazil does not even spend 1/3 of that on his residence. Yet, Nigeria wants to borrow $1.2 billion from Buhari to waste! No! #EndSARS”
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