Arms scandal: Not enough to take those indicted to jail – Bakare

A clergyman, Bishop David Bakare, has advised the Federal Government to reserve 10 per cent of the proceeds from the arms deal for the welfare of the families of Nigeria’s fallen

heroes and ex-servicemen.  Bakare, Chairman, North-West chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), made the call in his sermon at an inter-denominational church service in Abuja on Sunday.

The service was in commemoration of the Armed Forces and Remembrance Day 2016. The clergyman, who decried the magnitude of corruption in the country even at the expense of human lives, said taking suspects to the anti-graft agencies was not enough to tame corruption. He added that government and other stakeholders must begin to show more appreciation for the contributions of soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the unity and peace of Nigeria.

“There is a reward that our soldiers in the battle front deserve, there is a reward that our fallen heroes deserve and what they deserve is not for them to die and their children to die with them. “What they deserve is not to die for our country and their children cannot feed again. Those who laboured and died for our nation deserve honour.

“If we find those who have stolen our wealth, it is not enough to take them to EFCC, it is not enough to jail them, 10 per cent of every stolen money should be used to take care of the families of our fallen heroes.

“Today we are talking about the arms deal scandal and we hear that some people are returning money. “That money was meant to buy arms. If it was not used for that purpose and some soldiers lost their lives as a result of the act, then their children should be taken care of from the money recovered.’’

The clergyman urged government to use part of the money as scholarship and free education to the children or family of every soldier that lost his or her life as a result of the insurgency in the North East. Bakare said Nigeria must do more to motivate its trained military personnel in order to get the best out of them.

Bakare added that those found guilty in the ongoing probes of financial mismanagement in the country should be stripped of previous honours given to them by the country. According to him, streets in Abuja that have been named after those indicted in the ongoing probe should be replaced with more patriotic Nigerians that have sacrificed for the unity of Nigeria.

“In addition to the 10 per cent reserved from the proceeds of the arms loot, I want those concerned to go to the streets of Abuja and remove all those people’s names and put the name of a soldier who died one month after being married without a child. “Name a street after that soldier and others will be happy to serve this country.

“If we remember our fallen heroes, I believe that God is calling on us all to do a little more for our soldiers still serving and those who have fallen in the service of our fatherland.’’ The clergyman warned that God at His appointed time would intervene if the relevant authorities refused to do the right thing at the right time.

According to him, we must do the right things because if God decides to do what we have refused to do as leaders then it is going to be disastrous because there will be anarchy and calamity in the land. Speakers at the forum, in separate remarks, paid glowing tributes to the gallantry and sacrifice of Nigeria’s ex-servicemen The Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, led service chiefs, some top government functionaries, political leaders and some members of the diplomatic community, to the church service.