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NASS May Consider Report On Security Crisis, Next Week -Lawan
President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan, disclosed, yesterday, that the Senate may, next week, consider the report of an Ad-Hoc Committee on Security Challenges with a view to finding solutions to Nigeria’s security problems.
Lawan made the disclosure during the plenary sequel to the consideration of a motion brought to the floor by Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed (APC – Adamawa Central).
The Senate had on January 29, 2020, set up the Ad-Hoc Committee chaired by the Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi, to interface with the security agencies on the level of insecurity in the country and report back to the Upper Chamber within two weeks.
According to Lawan, the Senate would engage with the Executive arm of government on the resolutions of the ad-hoc committee as contained in its report.
He added that the Upper Chamber would also work closely with the House of Representatives and Nigerian citizens towards ensuring that solutions are found to the lingering security problems in the country.
Lawan said, “The Senate discussed and debated so much on the insecurity in the country and set up an ad-hoc committee under the leadership of the Senate leader.
“The committee is working very hard; we are trying to look for solutions to the insecurity bedevilling the country. We are not going to rest on our oars until we are able to provide solutions.
“This is the essence of our being in government. Of course, it will require that we work with the House of Representatives and the Executive, as well as the citizens because I believe that the citizens have to be taken into confidence in the fight against insecurity.
“So, we will not waste any time, as soon as the report is ready, I believe by next week, probably the report will be ready. We are going to look at the report of the ad-hoc committee and take those important and very viable resolutions, and engage with the Executive arm of government.
“I think we are on the same page with the Executive arm of government, everybody is worried, and we will do whatever it takes, and I normally say, if we have to invest so much money, so be it, because there’s nothing more important than life, even infrastructure.
“Life is more important than anything, so, we need to protect the lives of Nigerians who have sent us here,” Lawan added.
Earlier, Senator Aishatu Ahmed, while coming under a point of order on matter of urgent public importance, bemoaned attacks on Gombi Local Government Area of Adamawa State by an insurgent group armed with seven gun-trucks and motorcycles on February 21, 2020.
According to the lawmaker, “three soldiers were killed in the dastardly attacks, while properties worth millions of naira were burnt or destroyed, including: public hospital, school, telecommunication facilities, police stations and so on”.
She added that “the Garkida crisis, which has led to the destruction of lives and propriety, was planned by insurgents to have a religious connotation considering that churches and residences of some prominent indigenes were burnt, an act aimed at destroying the foundation of peaceful co-existence among Garkida community and Adamawa State as a whole.”
The lawmaker warned, “As a result of this, the urgent need to take more drastic actions in the face of such affront on the national security architecture, the region, and indeed, the entire nation is long overdue.
“In view of the enormity of the situation, the Federal Government needs to put more innovative measures in place to frontally confront these challenges.”
Consequently, the Senate, in a three-point resolution, urged the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen Tukur Buratai, to re-establish a military command base in Garkida, and also all major settlements bordering the Sambisa forest.
The Upper Chamber called on the North East Development Commission to immediately embark on rehabilitation of public and religious institutions destroyed and provide relief materials to victims of the insurgency.
Meanwhile, the Senate, yesterday, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to “immediately” reconstitute the Federal Character Commission (FCC) in line with extant laws.
The call followed a motion sponsored by the Minority Leader of the Senate, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, on the “urgent need to reconstitute the Federal Character Commission.”
The Upper Chamber noted that the tenure of the present commission had elapsed and that failure to reconstitute the commission would amount to a “breach of the Act establishing the Federal Character Commission and the 1999 Constitution (as amended).”
In his contribution, the Senate President, Dr Ahmad Lawan, noted that the FCC was one of the national tools that work to ensure equity, unity, fairness and justice in terms of employment distribution across all the 36 states and the FCT.
“It is very important we have the full complement of the commission in place, and I believe that with this resolution, it will expedite action to reconstitute the membership of the commission,” Lawan said.
In his lead debate, Abaribe noted that Act No. 34 of 1996 and Section 153 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) provided for the establishment of the Federal Character Commission (FCC).
He said that the subsection 1, 2 and 3 of the Act stipulate the establishment, membership and tenure of office of the chairman and members of the commission.
Abaribe said that Section 3(1) of the Act states that the chairman and members of the commission shall hold office for a period of five years in the first instance and for a further term of five years on such terms and conditions as may be specified in their letters of appointment.
He added: “Further aware that (the) Federal Character Commission body has lapsed since 2018 as against its Act.
“Observes that since 2018, the Federal Character Commission has been run by an acting chairman, who has now become a sole administrator.
“Further observes that no provisions of the Act or the Constitution stipulate the need for the office of a sole administrator or an acting chairman.
“Note that the Federal Character Commission (FCC) has been a tool for unity, equitable formula distribution and good governance of the nation,” Abaribe said.
He insisted that failure to reconstitute the commission amount to a constitutional breach of the Act establishing the FCC.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has described the late Chief Albert Korubo Horsfall as a distinguished statesman whose contributions to national development brought honour and distinction to the Kalabari Kingdom and Rivers State.
Fubara said Horsfall’s life of service, patriotism, integrity and commitment to humanity had left an enduring legacy that would continue to inspire generations.
The governor spoke through the Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Dr Dagogo Wokoma, at the funeral service of the late elder statesman last Saturday in Buguma, Asari-Toru Local Government Area of the State.
He described Horsfall as a patriotic Nigerian whose leadership and dedication to the country’s development earned him a place in the nation’s history.
“Chief Horsfall was a distinguished statesman whose life was defined by service, patriotism, integrity and commitment to humanity.
“His contributions to our nation, particularly through his service as Director-General of the State Security Service, pioneer Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency and Chairman of OMPADEC, remain significant milestones in our national history,” Fubara said.
The governor noted that the late Horsfall’s contributions to national security, intelligence administration and the development of the Niger Delta would remain part of his enduring legacy.
“His legacy of leadership, national service and dedication to development will remain an enduring source of inspiration to generations yet unborn,” he added.
Fubara urged the bereaved family, the Kalabari people and other Nigerians to uphold the values of peace, unity and selfless service exemplified by the late elder statesman.
The funeral service attracted several dignitaries, including the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), a representative of the Bayelsa State Governor, the Managing Director of NDDC, Chairman of PENDEF and the Regent of the Kalabari Kingdom.
Also in attendance were the Rivers State Commissioner for Education, the Commissioner for Special Projects and other government officials, traditional rulers and stakeholders.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to partner with local government councils that prioritize the welfare and development of people at the grassroots.
Fubara stated this last Thursday in Nkoro Town during the commissioning of the newly built Sir Siminalayi Fubara Corps Members’ Lodge, executed by Hon. James A. James, the Chairman of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area.
Represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr Sunny Ewule, the governor said the project goes beyond a building to represent hope, hospitality and responsible leadership.
According to him, providing decent and safe accommodation for Nationl Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members who leave their comfort zones to serve in communities is the least government can do.
“Today we are not just commissioning a building, we are commissioning hope, hospitality and responsible leadership. The Chairman of Opobo/ Nkoro LGA, Hon. James A. James has understood a very simple truth that those who come to serve us must serve with dignity,.
“Our young graduates who serves under the NYSC scheme leave the comfort of their homes and travel far to contribute to our communities, they teach our children, they work in our health centres, and they become parts of our families.
“The least we can do is give them a decent, safe and befitting place to lay their heads. What Hon. James A. James has done today is in total alignment with the vision of this administration, an administration that believes in people, that prioritises welfare and that believes development must be felt in every local government and not just in Port Harcourt” he said.
Fubara further urged the beneficiaries of the corpers lodge to make good use of the facilities of the newly built edifice and be good ambassadors of Nigeria, respect the culture and traditions of the host community while continue to serve with dedication and patriotism.
“This Corpers lodge will enhance the security and welfare of serving corps members, boost their morale and make Opobo/Nkoro and even more attractive place for posting, it is a strategic investment in human capital and in peace building,” he said.
He commended the Opobo/Nkoro Council Chairman for aligning with his administration’s vision of ensuring development is felt in all 23 local government areas of the State, and not just in Port Harcourt, adding that the lodge is a strategic investment in human capital, security and peace building.
In his goodwill message, the Rivers State NYSC Coordinator, Mr. Moses Oleghe, said the accommodation was 85 percent of Corps members’ challenges.
Oleghe thanked Governor Fubara for the recent increase in the State allowances for Corps members to N35,000 for those in 21 rural areas and N20,000 for those in Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt City LGAs, describing the gesture as a moral booster for the corps members.
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, has secured an offer of specialised training for up to 5,000 Nigerian police personnel under a proposed security cooperation involving Nigeria, the United States and Italy.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, disclosed this in a statement issued at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, at the weekend.
The initiative is aimed at strengthening the operational capacity of the Nigeria Police Force to tackle insurgency, terrorism, kidnapping, arms trafficking and other emerging security threats across the country.
According to the statement, the proposed training programme will focus on counter-insurgency operations, intelligence-led patrols and tactical operations, particularly in difficult rural and forested environments.
Other areas of training include critical infrastructure protection, digital and scientific forensics, cybercrime investigations, explosives detection, financial investigations, asset tracing and anti-extortion operations.
The programme is expected to extend beyond the Police Mobile Force to other specialised units, including explosive ordnance disposal and forensic teams.
As part of the engagement, Disu met with the Commander-General of the Italian Carabinieri, Lieutenant-General Salvatore Luongo, to explore areas of technical assistance, professional training and institutional cooperation.
The police chief and his delegation also visited the Carabinieri Centre of Excellence for Stability Police Units in Vicenza, Italy, where they assessed training facilities and explored opportunities to adapt specialised policing programmes to Nigeria’s security needs.
Proposals discussed during the visit included command courses for 40 senior police officers, leadership training for 100 junior commanders and the deployment of a mobile assistance team to support Police Mobile Force training schools in Gwoza, Borno State, and Ila-Orangun, Osun State.
The discussions also covered the development of a national stability policing doctrine and standard operating procedures to improve professionalism, operational coordination and civilian protection, particularly in communities recovering from conflict.
Other areas of proposed cooperation include canine operations, forensic science and mounted policing, including horse breeding and local capacity development for effective public order management.
To formalise the proposed partnership, the IGP has initiated moves towards a Memorandum of Understanding covering specialised training, technology transfer and operational procedures.
He also invited an Italian Carabinieri assessment team to Abuja to identify priority needs and develop implementation arrangements.
Disu reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to international partnerships that will strengthen operational readiness, improve investigative capacity and enhance the protection of lives and property.
The statement did not, however, indicate when the proposed training programme would commence or provide a definite implementation timetable.
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