Rafsanjani Criticizes Buhari Administration for Spending N81 Billion on Tree Planting
NEWS DIGEST – Comrade Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Head of Transparency International Nigeria, has raised concerns about the Nigerian government’s expenditure of N81.2 billion on planting 21 million trees through the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW).
The House of Representatives ad-hoc committee, responsible for investigating the utilization of Ecological Funds and other intervention funds of the Great Green Wall Project, recently questioned the National Agency for Great Green Wall (NAGGW) regarding its claim of spending N81 billion to plant 21 million trees in several northern states, including Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Yobe, and Borno.
Comrade Rafsanjani, in an interview with Radio France Internationale – RFI, expressed skepticism about the government’s reported spending.
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He argued that it’s impossible for the government to plant 21 million trees at a cost of N81 billion, which would mean each tree costs 4 million Naira. He described this as absurd and suggested that it points to corruption within the country.
Furthermore, Rafsanjani criticized the President Muhammadu Buhari administration for what he perceives as wasteful spending at a time when Nigerians are grappling with hunger, insecurity, and unemployment.
He stressed that the funds allocated for tree planting could have been better invested in critical sectors like health, education, and security.
Rafsanjani called on the legislature to continue probing government projects and urged them to hold corrupt public officials accountable.
He also highlighted the need for transparency and accountability in the management of public funds, particularly in the context of security expenditures.
He appealed to Nigerians to unite against corruption in the country and urged residents of the states where tree planting was supposed to occur to verify whether such projects have been implemented as claimed.
