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Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020—41
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Fire service chiefs now, Senators, Reps tell Buhari
Continues from Page 5
responsibility of engaging
the Security Agencies and
reporting back to the
Senate in two weeks time.
The committee which will
also engage the National
Security Adviser, Major-
General Mohammed
Monguno on the
implementation modalities
of the December 2019
national security strategies,
will also engage the
National Security Institute
to discuss their operational
structures, funding,
equipment and staff
disposition with a view to
reviewing the national
security architecture to
make it more responsive in
tackling the myriad security
chalienges facing the
nation and the people.
The committee will also
produce a draft
implementation modality/
blueprint on the ways and
means of tackling the
current securty challenges
for the consideration of the
Senate.
‘Fire service chiefs now’
Senators also called on
President Buhari to as a
matter of urgency sack the
Service Chiefs, against the
backdrop that they have
done their part and at the
moment, have ran out
ideas as they have
overstayed their welcome.
According to the
Senators, the time has come
for the Chief of Defence
Staff, General Abayomi
Olonisakin; National
Security Adviser, NSA,
Major-General Monguno;
Chief of Army Staff, Lt.
General Tukur Buratai;
Chief of Air Staff, Air
Marshal Sadique
Abubakar and Chief of
Naval Staff, Vice Marshal
Ibok- Ete Ibas to give way
for fresh brains to man the
country’s security system.
Particularly in their
remarks, Senators Betty
Apiafi, Matthew
Urhoghide, Emmanuel
Bwacha, Binos Yaros,
Elisha Abbo, Abba Moro,
Olamilekan Adeola, Sani
Musa, Bamidele Opayemi,
Rochas Okorocha, Francis
Alimikhena, among others
called for the immediate
sack of the security chiefs
in order to give room for
new ones who may have
new ideas.
Also prominent during
the debate was the call for
State Policing, if the
present security
challenges must be
addressed in all its
ramifications because the
present central security
infrastructure has failed the
country.
On his part, Senator
Abbo who called for the
sack of the Service Chiefs
said, “ We have never had
it bad in this country in the
area of security. The
Service Chiefs appointed
in July 2015 and
according to report by the
Budget Office, from 2012
to 2014, N4.5 trillion have
been received by the
Military and there are
grumblings within the
Military and silence is no
longer golden. The Service
Chiefs have run out of
ideas.”
Split over state Police
There was however, a
sharp division among
Senators who advocated
State Policing and those
who kicked against it.
Senators who supported
the urgent need for the
establishment of State
Policing for effective
policing in the country
were Senators Olamilekan
Adeola, Ibikunle Amosun,
Oluremi Tinubu, Smart
Adeyemi, Ibrahim
Shekarau, Matthew
Urhoghide, Olubunmi
Adetunmbi, Tanko Al-
Makura, Sandy Onor,
among others.
Deputy President of the
Senate, Senator Ovie Omo
Agege; Senators Gabriel
Suswam and Danjuma
Goje, Adamu Aliero, and
Abubakar Yusuf, , kicked
against the establishment
of state police.
From 11.30a.m., to
4.25p.m., the Senators took
time to debate on the
motion entitled, “Security
Challenges: Urgent need
restructure, review and
reorganise the current
Security Architecture.”
The motion was
sponsored by the Senate
Leader, Senator Yahaya
Abdullahi, and cosponsored
by 105
Senators.
Resign Now, Abaribe
tells Buhari, APC
Naira down to N363.51/$ in
I&E window
By Elizabeth Adegbesan
THE Naira yesterday depreciated to N363.51
per dollar in the Investors and Exporters (I&E)
window.
Data from FMDQ showed that the indicative exchange
rate for the window rose to N363.51 yesterday from
N363.33 per dollar on Tuesday, translating to 18 kobo
depreciation of the Naira.
The volume of dollar (turnover) on the window dropped
by 81 percent to $108.87 million from $586.22 million
traded on Tuesday.
However, the Naira appreciated by 50 kobo in the
parallel market yesterday.
According to naijabdcs.com, the live exchange rate
platform of the Association of Bureaux De Change
Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), the parallel market
exchange rate dropped to N358 per dollar from N358.5
per dollar, indicating 50 kobo appreciation of the Naira.
In his contribution,
Abaribe said, “When I was
coming this morning, I saw
the newspaper headline, “
Mr President, Commanderin-Chief
expresses shock at
the level of violent crime.”
In other words, Mr
President was expressing
surprise. But in accordance
to our rule 53(13), I will not
go into that but I will only
say, Mr President, in pidgin
English, this surprise
surprise me.
“You have told us that on
this solemn day that we are
discussing this matter, that
we may not at any point be
partisan and I want to tell
you, Mr President, if you
didn’t insist that we will not
be partisan, I would have
called out the presidential
spokesman, Femi Adesina,
who when the CAN leaders
complained about the
killings of a priest, he turned
around and said that CAN
was acting like a political
party.
“Now that we are talking
about it here, let me hear
him say that all of us are
acting like a political party,
when somebody is
complaining about these
incessant deaths in this
country.
“Because we have to get
to the root of this matter, I
can only say one thing,
those who live on
propaganda will die by
propaganda. It is a matter
of life and death.
“Boko Haram has been
defeated, Nigeria is now
safer. Everything was being
done to make sure that the
hard work that was
supposed to be done in
securing Nigeria was not
done because certain
people did not do their
work and preferred to cover
the eyes of Nigerians with
propaganda.
“All the time that we
wasted in Nigeria trying to
find all these excuses for
non-performance has now
come to stare us in the face.
Reality is no respecter of
persons; the reality is what
we are facing now. Sen. Sani
Musa is shouting every day
that his people were being
killed in Niger; we just took
one from Jos, a student who
was murdered in the full
view of everybody with a
pistol.
“And we are told that they
have been defeated.”
Adamu tackles Abaribe
At this point, former
governor of Nasarawa state,
Senator Abdullahi Adamu,
then stood up to speak,
countered Abaribe, asking
him to retract his comment
and apologize, just as he
said that the debate should
be approached with
responsibility.
Senator Adamu said:
“There is no doubting the
fact that we do face security
challenges in the country;
anybody who says
otherwise is only
pretending but the fact that
we have security
challenges and the fact that
we are in a democratic
dispensation, and the fact
that in the National
Assembly, on the floor of
this hallowed chamber, we
enjoy some immunity, if,
HUMANITARIAN AND RELIEF AIDS—Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's
Ambassador, Adnan Bostaji (R), with First Lady and Founder of the Aisha Buhari
Foundation, Mrs Aisha Buhari, during a meeting on ways of co-operation between
Saudi Arabia and the Foundation on humanitarian and relief aids.
Mr President, we do not
approach this debate with
the level of sensibility that
it demands, we shall be
doing more harm than
good to this issue of
national security.”
Earlier in his
presentation of the motion,
the Senate Leader, Senator
Abdullahi said that the
Senate “Notes the recent
upsurge of security related
challenges and the
devastating loss of lives,
limbs and properties that it
has unleashed on the
nation.
“Further notes the
comprehensive new
national security strategy
that the government
adopted in December, with
its very clear statement of
goals, objectives and
challenges that faced the
nation particularly those
challenges whose recent
upsurge have a direct and
devastating impact on the
lives and safety of the
people.”
In his remarks after the
debate, President of the
Senate, Senator Ahmad
Lawan said, “We represent
the people here, we must
not shy away from what
affects their lives. The
security of our people is the
issue that concerns almost
every Nigerian. I think we
can do better than just
discussing but finding
solutions to issues at stake.
“This is not something we
can do alone, we must work
with the executive to
achieve these. The
President himself has been
working hard with security
agencies to ensure that we
protect the lives and
property of our people but
we have come to a point
where the legislators will
also intervene or we give
the necessary legislation
and support to the executive
arm of government.”
Amotekun, solution to
Insecurity in Nigeria—
Gbajabiamila
Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Mr Femi
Gbajabiamila, has
described Amotekun, a
South-West regional
security initiative and
similar regional outfits, as
solution to the insecurity in
the country.
He said,: “Recently, the
Governors of Lagos, Ogun,
Osun, Ekiti, Oyo and
Ondo states, took action to
implement a regional
security network to support
the efforts of the Nigeria
Police Force in preventing
crime and protecting the
lives and property of those
our citizens who live, work
and travel through these
states.
“The establishment of
Amotekun, as the network
is called, has met with
commentary from across
the country, both for and
against. Too often, it has
seemed to me that lost in
these interactions is the
hard, brutal and
unavoidable fact that
Amotekun and other such
state or zonal interventions
that already quietly exist in
other parts of the country,
are a desperate response to
the vile manifestations of
insecurity that trouble the
lives of citizens, depriving
them of the peace and
security that gives life
meaning.
“I do not know whether
Amotekun or whatever
iterations of it may follow
represents the ultimate or
perfect solution to the
problem of insecurity in our
country.
“The localised
manifestations of insecurity
across the different parts of
our country, call for unique
and localised approaches
that take those peculiarities
into account.”
He however, advised that
the arrangement should
abide by the provisions of
the 1999 Constitution.
He also lamented the
killing of Pastor Lawan
Andimi and a student of
Plateau origin, by Boko
Haram terrorists.
“All people of conscience
mourn the loss of a
reverend and a senior
member of the Christian
Association of Nigeria,
CAN, in Adamawa State,
Mr Lawan Andimi, a good
and honourable man, who
through the church and in
his personal capacity
served the people of his
community, earning their
reverence and our
collective gratitude. In the
midst of our mourning, our
hearts were broken once
more by the release of a
video depicting the
gruesome assassination of
Mr Ropvil Daciya, a
student from Plateau State
who was abducted by
suspected Boko Haram
terrorists on his way back
to school at the University
of Maiduguri,” he stated.
He warned that if not
quickly addressed, the
issue of insecurity will bog
the country down.
“God forbid that it is now
our nation’s fate to live
forever under the threat of
abduction and murder.
What gaps and weaknesses
continue to exist in the
national security
infrastructure that makes us
more susceptible to the
machinations of those who
seek to achieve wealth and
power through brutal
violence? How do we
achieve for all our people, a
just and honourable peace?
These questions are never
too far from my mind, and I
know that it is the same for
you too because often it is
you who are at the frontline
responding to the concerns
of constituents who have
themselves been victimized
and those who fear that the
moment of their own
affliction is only a matter of
time and circumstance,” he
said.
“Colleagues, this House
will shortly take action to
put these questions before
those agencies of our
national security to whom
our constitution and other
legislation have granted the
powers and the resources to
ensure the safety and
security of all our people.
“Our cup of endurance
has run over and we are no
longer willing to labour
under these dark clouds of
random violence inflicted
upon our people by faceless
cowards whose ends we do
not understand, and whose
means we do not know.
Overcoming our
overwhelming national
security challenges now
requires of us all that we
be willing to accept new
approaches and consider
novel ideas. Neither the
security institutions nor
political leaders can afford
to hold on too tightly to a
status quo whose
frustrating limitations are
painfully evident, whilst
reflexively rejecting
innovations that may
improve our fortunes if
properly implemented.”
C
M
Y
K