Federal lawmakers, on Tuesday, deplored the federal government’s continued disregard for Senate’s resolutions on the issue of national security.
The Senators spoke while contributing to a motion on the recent kidnapping of students at the Government Science School, Kankara, Katsina State.
The Red Chamber had twice called for the replacement of the service chiefs.
The lawmakers, in their various contributions to the motion, expressed deep frustration over the recurring issues of killings and kidnappings across the country and the inability of the security agencies to address the challenges.
They insisted that the service chiefs had overstayed and should allow other officers with fresh ideas to take over.
Senator Mohammed Sani Musa (APC, Niger) said, “Every day, people are dying and nothing is happening, and we continue to talk, we continue to go and console them. We can’t bring those lives back.
“Mr. President, I wish the National Assembly will take drastic action on this. We have the powers to appropriate; we have been appropriating. Where are these funds going to? Are these Service Chiefs the only people that can defend the territorial integrity of this country?”, Senator Sani queried.
Senator James Manager (PDP, Delta) lamented that the Senate had handed over its resolutions on security to the Executive but none of them has bee n implemented.
“Very soon I will not come to the Senate to talk and talk and whatever we talk means nothing. Anytime the issue of insecurity is mentioned, I will pack my belongings and go because we are tired,” he said.
Senator Gabriel Suswam (PDP, Benue) said the ninth Senate, since its inauguration, had been occupied with issues of security.
“We have discussed this for over one year and nothing has happened. It means we don’t have a serious security intelligence in this country and so we cannot be representing the people and continue to play lip service to it,” Suswam said.
Senator Biodun Olujimi (PDP, Ekiti) suggested that the National Assembly puts the 2021 budget consideration on hold until the president takes drastic on the security situation.
Senator Bello Mandiya (APC, Katsina), in his lead debate, expressed concern that like the other incidents of school children abduction in Chibok, Borno State and Dapchi, Yobe State, if no immediate action was taken to rescue Kankara schoolboys, their fate may be sealed in the hands of terrorists.
However, Senator Abdullahi Adamu (APC, Nasarawa) urged his colleagues to take the step of partnership with the Executive, saying “each one of us here belongs to the leadership of this country. Where there is failure, the failure is our failure.”
Senate President Ahmad Lawan said the National Assembly will continue to engage the Executive arm of government until appropriate action is taken to address the growing insecurity in parts of the country.
“As a parliament, we should never get tired of talking about issues that affect our people. We have our own limitations because of the structure of how governance must be carried out, but we must never get tired of reporting what is happening to our people.
“We should continue to engage with the Executive arm of government until the appropriate actions are taken, because that is what we are expected to do as a Parliament,” Lawan said.
The Senate, in its resolutions, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to consider and implement the recommendations of the Senate Adhoc Committee on Nigeria Security Challenges dated March, 17th 2020 and Senate Resolutions therefrom, as a holistic response to the mounting security challenges across the country.
