The Presidential Committee on the North East Initiative (PCNI) has clarified an alleged statement credited to its head of Humanitarian Rehabilitation and Resettlement, Dr Sidi Ali Mohammed.
A viral newspaper and online report claimed that Dr Mohammed’s Presentation at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Sub-Sahara Africa’s Economic Outlook Report on Monday purportedly stated a daily allowance of $3000 to each Boko Haram element in contrast to the Military spending per personnel of N1000 daily.
However the PCNI in a press release by the Head of Media and Communications, Alkasim Abdulkadir, Dr Sidi Ali debunked the claim and said the report not only misquoted him, but the context of his analysis was highly misconstrued.
“I clearly provided a caveat in the academic exercise by saying there was speculation and narrative of financial inducement of up to 3000 USD daily to Boko Haram elements outside, in no way did I categorically or factually state that this was the earnings of the insurgents as I am not privy to their dealings I also stated that the PCNI had schemes in place to counter not only the narrative but to fill the skills gap in the North East in order to avoid radicalization”.
“I regret the negative perception the misinformation caused the military high command and the Federal Government at this auspicious and delicate time of winning the hearts and minds of those involved in the conflict”.
The statement further quoted Sidi Ali as saying that it was unfortunate that journalists literally latched on and misconstrued a part of his presentation which lasted for about 2 hours to cause disaffection between the Agency and the Military after enjoying a very cordial relationship in the last 3 years.
The statement quoted the Spokesman of the agency as saying “It should be noted that Dr Sidi Ali has dedicated his entire career spanning more than 2 decades and especially the last 3 years in providing humanitarian and developmental essential services to Nigerians and vulnerable populations in the North East as a patriotic clinical and public health professional”.
The press statement further appealed to media organizations to desist from overheating the polity through baseless misinformation and disinformation, as the task of nation building was also a paramount responsibility of the fourth estate of the realm.
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