…Say Nigeria has not fared better under Buhari, APC
…Demand NSA, Monguno’s resignation
…APC, safe haven for terrorists, says PDP
By Ezeocha Nzeh and Myke Uzendu, Abuja
Members of the House of Representatives, across political party board declared that the various arms of government have failed Nigerians Nigerians since the new democratic dispensation, having failed to guarantee the peoples security in the face of the current challenges that engulfed the country
This even as the House of Representatives members majorly from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) admitted that the country has not fared better since president Muhammadu Buhari and the APC administration took over power in 2015
The House members regretted that despite approving several millions of Naira as submitted by the federal government in several budget proposals, the government has not been able to tackle the nation’s security challenges
Some Rep members therefore in response to wha they described as President Muhammadu Buhari’s inability to secure the counry, proposed that the National Assembly be shut down to force the governmen to wake up to his responsibility of ensuring protection of life and property in Nigeria.
This is even as a lawmaker called for the resignation or sacking of the National Security Adviser, Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd}, saying he should have been sacked along with the last set of service chiefs.
The House cut short its plenary on Thursday, following an extended debate on the growing insecurity in the country, during especially the killings in Kaduna state at both the Kaduna Airport attack and the attack on the Abuja- Kaduna bound train on Monday night.
Specifically, the House of Representatives members, mostly from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), spent over one hour criticising the Buhari-led adminisra5tion and security agencies.
Hon Shehu Balarabe, who expressed his emotions over the incessant killings, moved a motion of urgent public importance on the killings in Kaduna.
Expressing bhis own deep concerns, House Majority Leader, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, noted that he would use his “emotion-laden voice” to speak in his capacity as leader of the House and the “ambassador of the government on this floor.”
Ado-Doguwa said, “You can see how this chamber is thrown into disquiet and into an emotionally-disturbed manner. When you have a government in place, the major responsibility of that government, especially a democratic one which was elected by the people, is to ensure safety of lives and properties of its innocent citizens.
“When things like this continue, and continue on a daily basis, those of us who are representatives of the government will become speechless. I have to repeat: we become speechless in the discharge of our duties here to defend actions by the government.
“This is an elected government under a popular democracy but we continue, day in day out…killings, massacre, banditry, armed robbery left, right, and centre. This is just a report of one local government area out of the 774 of the federation.”
The majority leader who queried why several parts of Kaduna State have been under attack despite the existence of several military and paramilitary institutions and bases noted, “the highest number you can count in the northern part of the country,” in the state.
“The government, in this case, has to rise up to its responsibility and call a spade a spade,” he stated.
The Kano state APC legislator pointed out that the National Assembly had always appropriated more funds for the security agencies, while relevant committees have been following up on the use of the funds in the implementation of the budget.
He said, “We are here for Nigerian people; we must speak for Nigerian people. We cannot sit down here, fold our arms and see our electorate – people who elected us into our respective offices – being killed by the day.”
He described the situation as an “institutional failure” and “regimented failure on the part of our security agencies because you have no cause to even excuse any one of them.
Hon. Aminu Suleiman, who warned that the situation “is going beyond the control of our security agencies,” added, “this clear case of what I will call ineptitude – absolute ineptitude.” He decried that the entire country is now insecure, with the crisis in the North-West growing at an alarming rate.
Suleiman said, “I am beginning to interrogate the power of our resolutions here. We have passed several resolutions, we have lamented. Is there any way now that we can ensure enforcement of our resolutions? Can’t we as a House take more drastic action?
“If our resolutions cannot work, is it not possible to close this chamber and join ASUU, and say ‘we are not resuming here until the Commander-in-Chief (of the Armed Forces) performs his duty? I am not directly accusing him but the buck stops at the table of the Commander-in-Chief. If there is success, he will be the first to take the glory. Now that there is complete failure, the Commander-in-Chief must take responsibility.
“And we have powers to drive this process to ensure that Mr President takes responsibility, otherwise it will be difficult for us to go back and speak to our people that we have debated on the floor of the House and we have passed resolutions. These are academics; our people are not used to these. ‘You have passed resolutions; you have debated, what is the effect? Have these issues been arrested? Have they been overcome?’”
The lawmaker added, “I urge us, we must do something practical, dramatic and serious to show to the government and to the people that we are doing our best, otherwise when resolution starts some of the innocents may be the victims.”
Another APC member, Hon. Chike Okafor (Okigwe), said the country has not fared better since the APC administration of President Buhari it took power in 2015, noting that security had not improved despite changing the service chiefs. “It is not about the failure of anyone in particular; all of us have failed and we must acknowledge that the failure is that of all of us,” he stated.
Okafor added, “I want to align with the last speaker that we have to go beyond just speaking from this place and do something drastic; something more revolutionary. I think that if we wake up one day and say we are not opening the doors of this chamber; until something drastic is done, Nigerians will not take us seriously.
“I want to believe that the security chiefs are overwhelmed in this situation. Something drastic has to be done. Let us not wait until we are completely overwhelmed.”
Meanwhile, the main opposition party, the PDP has said that the public confession by the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai and that of the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi is troubling and an indication that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is a safe haven for terrorists.
The party in a statement by its Spokesperson, Hon Debo Ologunagba, said that both chieftains of the ruling party confessed that the APC knows the whereabouts and plans of the terrorists ravaging our nation but deliberately refused to act.
According to the party, Amaechi, said that “some members of the APC-led Federal Executive Council frustrated his request to install security surveillance equipment to avert terrorist attack on the Kaduna-Abuja rail track confirms that the APC administration has been creating safety nets for terrorists to freely operate in our country”.
In exposing the APC government which he is part of, Mallam el-Rufai said, “we know where their camps are, we know where they are, the SSS has their phone numbers, they listen to them and they give me report…”
The party quoted the Minister of Transportation as saying “We knew what the problems will be. We knew we needed to have digital security equipment…I warned that lives will be lost and now lives are lost… When you come with sincerity to government and your colleagues are stopping you, it is annoying”.
PDP said that these revelations from high-ranking APC public officials who are in the position of knowledge, unequivocally confirmed that APC leaders are in league with terrorists.
It said that it is not surprised that President Muhammadu Buhari insists on retaining a self-confessed terrorist apologist, Dr. Isa Pantami to continue to head the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy which is indispensable in any meaningful fight against terrorism in the country.
“The fact that the Buhari-led government atrociously refused to act despite having full intelligence on the whereabouts as well as the plans of the terrorists confirms grave complicity and conspiracy against our nation at the very top level of the APC government’s security command and control coordination structure.
“It also confirms that the APC government has conceded sovereignty over a part of our country to terrorists who, as a former APC leader confessed, were brought from neighboring countries by the APC as “political mercenaries” to rig the 2019 general elections”.
The party said that the complicity of the ruling party only explains why the APC is deliberately suppressing information and exposing the gallant armed forces to harm’s way while watching innocent Nigerians perish in the hands of terrorists.
The party asked Nigerians to recall how ahead of the 2019 elections, Governor el-Rufai declared that “those that are calling for anyone to come and intervene in Nigeria, we are waiting for the persons that will come and intervene, they will go back in body bags”.
The party maintained that the APC is complicit in the many acts of terrorism in the country and asked Nigerians to unite in ensuring that the APC is voted out of power in 2023 so that our nation can breathe a new lease of life.
