Former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode has commended suspended All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Timi Frank for his open letter to US President Donald Trum highlighting the misdeeds of the APC and the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
Frank’s open letter read in part:
“Your Excellency Sir, while you daily work to advance the cause of the United States, the Nigerian situation under the present administration, led by the ruling All Progressives Congress has failed to promote the nation’s interest and work for the sustenance of our democracy. It was most unfortunate that when President Buhari visited you recently, he minced words on the true situation of the current happenings in the country, which pose a great threat to our national fabric of unity, peace and progress.
“The ruling APC and President Buhari were ecstatically embraced by Nigerians and voted into office with a promise to fight corruption, insecurity and grow the economy in 2015. However, three years on, prevailing maladministration and insecurity have left everyone spell bound, as wanton killings by herdsmen, kidnapping for ransom, armed robbery, corruption and insurgency in the North-East still ravage the country unabated.
“Furthermore, the cost of fighting these deadly malaise continues to skyrocket without corresponding mitigation in insecurity. A recent example is the withdrawal of $1 billion from the Excess Crude Account (ECA) to fight Boko Haram and other security challenges across the country by the executive in collaboration with the National Economic Council, without due recourse to the National Assembly for statutory approval.
“More so, need I mention that the recent advance payment of $496 million to your country for the purchase of 12 Tucano fighter jets by the Buhari-led Federal Executive Council was done in complete violation of extant laws regarding such purchases. I must say that that action remains illegal, criminal and a breach of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which empowers the National Assembly to approve all expenditures of the executive.
“I am aware that the United States is a nation ruled by laws and therefore cannot condone impunity and illegality of this nature – no matter the amount of benefits accruable to it from the sale. I would therefore, kindly appeal to you, to use your good offices to ensure that the $496 million is repatriated into the Nigerian coffers and the deal renegotiated and made to follow due process.”
Frank said that the present administration has severely cracked down on dissent within the country, hence a world power like the US was in the best position to advise the Buhari administration.
He added:
“I believe you are better placed to advice the current leadership on the need to obey the rule of law and be impartial in its ongoing anti-corruption campaign.
“I humbly invite you to work with other defenders of democracy, freedom and human rights across the world, like the European Union (EU), United Nations (UN) and organisations like the Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, etc, to ensure that the present gagging of the press and opposition political party members in Nigeria do not degenerate further.”
“Help us to prevent imminentbreakdown of law and order that may result to chaos and anarchy if the current atmosphere of government’s orchestrated harassment, intimidation, coercion, denial of the right to free speech and outright repression of perceived enemies of the administration, is allowed to continue unabated.
“I thank you in anticipation that you will take positive steps to liaise with your friend, President Muhammadu Buhari, in order to prevent escalation of anti-democratic acts by agents of the administration,” he concluded.
Reacting in a Monday tweet via his verified Twitter handle, Fani-Kayode said, “I commend my friend and brother Timi Frank for his immense courage and his excellent open letter to @realDonaldTrump.”
See tweet:
I commend my friend and brother Timi Frank for his immense courage and his excellent open letter to @realDonaldTrump. https://t.co/QfTLzA6Kwr
— Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) May 28, 2018