The Federal Government has described the criticisms trailing the approval of one billion dollars for the fight against insurgency and other violent crimes in the country as unnecessary and unhelpful.
The Minister of Information, Culture and and Tourism, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, expressed this position at a news conference in Lagos.
He said the Nigerian Governor's Forum acted wisely in approving the fund from the Excess Crude Account based on the need to properly fund security operations in the country to adequately respond to threats by Boko Haram and other criminals.
Mohammed pointed out that the approved fund was not to fight Boko Haram in the North East alone but also to tackle kidnapping,cattle rustling , illegal oil bunkering and other crimes.
He expressed dismay that an action intended to make the country safer had been subjected to attacks by people with ulterior motives.
The minister said that it was wrong to sacrifice the issue of security on the altar of politics, saying opponents of the fund were taking politics too far.
Mohammed said asymmetrical wars were very expensive to fight, adding that even though Boko Haram had been degraded, there was the need to properly fund military operations to enable it confront insurgents' threats.
The minister commended the NGF for approving the fund, describing their action as patriotic.
Mohammed described the Buhari -administration as very disciplined government which would ensure the fund was used for its purpose.
