National leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on Tuesday said he never meant that the Federal Government should employ 50 million but 5 million youths into the Nigerian Army to boost fight against terrorism, banditry and others.
He said it was a slip of the tongue.
Tinubu was caught in a video that has gone viral, saying that the Federal Government to employ 50 million youths into the Nigerian Army to boost fight against terrorism, banditry and and all forms of internal and external security threats confronting the nation.
He spoke on Monday during the 12th Bola Tinubu Colloquium to celebrate his 69th birthday.
“We are under-policed and we are competing with armed robbers and bandits to recruit from the youths who are unemployed —33 per cent unemployed?
“Recruit 50 million youths into the army,” he stated, adding that “what they will eat —cassava, corn, yam, will grow here.”
However, Tinubu, who spoke through his media aide, Tunde Rahman on Tuesday told P.M. NEWS that he meant the government should employ five million youths and not 50 million into the army.
Meanwhile, Twitter commenters are feasting on the erroneous statement.
Senator Shehu Sani, in a tweet, said the nation had not been able to adequately cater for 150,000 soldiers.
He wondered how Tinubu wanted the government to cater for 50 million soldiers on the payroll.
“If we have not been able to adequately cater for our 150k soldiers, how do we handle and cater for 50 million armed soldiers on our payroll?” he asked.
Tinubu had justified his statement by saying the government should not be constrained by austere measures in spending on his people.
He said Nigeria as a sovereign state can create money, as being done in the US and other developed countries.
He cited the USA which is spending $1.9 trillion to boost its economy and has also lined up another $3trillion for infrastructure.
