TheCable

Boko Haram militants are planning to bomb the houses of VIPs and not that of Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, his spokesman has clarified.

The initial statement from the National Economic Council (NEC) on Thursday had quoted Osinbajo as saying scavengers were being prepared by insurgents to dump refuse laden with bombs in his own house.

After the statement was published, Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, issued a note to editors stating that the Boko Haram target is VIPs, not the VP and that it was a clerical error.

The insurgents recently burned down the home of Tukur Buratai, the new chief of army staff, in Buratai, Borno state.

They also previously took over the home of Alex Badeh, former chief of defence staff, in Adamawa state.

Osinbajo, who toured Adamawa, Borno and Yobe recently, was in Maiduguri when suicide bombers blew themselves up.

He expressed regrets that the insurgency has affected the economic life of the north-east and the country as a whole.

It was also revealed that Boko Haram is still in control of five councils in Yobe and Borno as well as parts of Sambisa forest, also in Borno.

Briefing the media at the end of the meeting, Akinwunmi Ambode, governor of Lagos state, said council resolved that all states should find ways to reduce their cost of governance.

He said: “We do not have a uniform template on how to reduce the cost of governance but is very clear that states in the specific situations will find different ways and means of ensuring the cost of running governance is not as huge as it has always been.

“So is left for the states in their respective situation to find the different ways of cutting cost but what is important is that we cannot continue with the kind of huge burden or huge cost we are apply to run our government.

“A situation where you are having a huge percentage of your budget as recurrent ‎expenditure is obviously not acceptable. And you must look for ways in reducing the cost of administration in the various states.”

On cattle rustling and banditry, Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, said most of the cattle rustlers are in Kumuku National Part “which, if not properly handled, could result to another Sambisa forest”.