In  the ongoing efforts to restore peace and stability to Mali, the federal government of Nigeria has spent forty five million dollars as its own contribution apart from other forms of humanitarian assistance given by National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, disclosed this at an interactive session with journalists in Abuja yesterday on the outcome of the Nigeria-EU meeting in Brussels, on Nigeria-EU political dialogue, ECOWAS-EU dialogue and pledging conference in Mali.
”Nigeria pledged the sum of two million dollars in support of agricultural development and the conduct of free and fair elections in the country. This is additional to the five million dollars pledged by Nigeria at the AU pledging conference in Ethiopia January this year.
So far Nigeria has spent forty five million dollars on the ongoing efforts to achieve peace and stability in Mali.”

Ashiru also disclosed that Nigeria welcomed the adoption by the UN security council of resolution 2100 of 2013 on Mali which would lead to the transformation of AFISMA to a UN peace keeping operation called UN Multi-Dimentional Integrtated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).

This transformation would not only promote the spirit of burden-sharing, but would also underscore the primary responsibility of the UN security council in the promotion of international peace and security.

He urged members of the international community to contribute generously to the UN peacekeeping force to effectively tackle the challenge to state authority, unity and the territorial integrity of Mali, thereby curtailing the threat of terrorism and criminality spreading to other parts of Mali.
Nigeria currently has 1200 troops as part of AFISMA under the command of a Nigerian Major-General

Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/05/nigeria-spends-45m-on-mali-peace-security/