Walk Your Talk, Declare Emergency on Nation’s Security, Ali Ndume Tasks Tinubu

*Stands on frontloading of military budgets

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

Former Senate. Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, has charged President Bola Tinubu to walk his talk on the declaration of emergency on the nation’s security.

The president had last November declared a nationwide security emergency and ordered  additional recruitment into the Armed Forces.

Ali’s call came in the wake of last week’s killings of residents of Ngoshe in Borno State and abduction of over 100 women and children by the Boko Haram sect.

Boko Haram, in cahoots with Islamic State of West Africa Province, (ISWAP), carried out the coordinated attacks last Wednesday, in Ngoshe community in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, where they killed some soldiers, the chief  Imam of the town and some community elders.

According to reports, the terrorists first attacked a military base belonging to the 82 Division Task Force Battalion before storming the community and an Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp.

Commenting on the issue on an interview with newsmen in Abuja yesterday, Ndume, who incidentally represents the affected community in the Senate, tasked Tinubu to mandate security forces to carry out consistent clearance operations in areas like Lake Chad, Sambisa Forest and Mandara mountains.

These areas, he noted, were havens for the insurgents, where they launch their consistent attacks.

The ranking senator also urged the president to regularly  brief Nigerians on his efforts to surmount banditry and insurgency, in the three zones in the North.

His words: “Government should walk its talks on emergency by engaging in coordinated and sustainable attacks on the targets especially in the North East. They should carry out consistent clearance operations in Lake Chad, Sambisa forest and the Mandara because the recent attacks were well coordinated by the insurgents.

“For example,  the Ngoshe massacre was carried out by the insurgents from the Mandara mountains assisted by others from  Sambisa and the Lake Chad, using their known routes, including the Mandara mountains, Lake Chad and Sambisa.  

“Since the president has declared a state of emergency, he should have a situation room in his office in the Villa. He should use that to brief Nigerians directly. They want to hear from him from time to time.

“Nigeria also deserves an Air Components Centre in the three  geo-political zones in the North with attack helicopters deployed to the areas.”

Ndume, however, commended the military for their intervention “in Ngoshe even though it came late.” 

The former Chairman of Senate Committee on Army also reiterated his call for the frontloading of budgets of the security agencies to fast-track procurement of arms and ammunitions. 

He equally expressed strong reservations about inadequate budgetary provisions for the military in the face of sophisticated weapons and equipment traced to terrorist groups.

“The Nigerian Army budget is insignificant compared to what is in the Budget, that’s less than 10% of the budget and the Nigerian Army budget should be frontloaded. 

“The president should ensure that the  Nigerian security agencies budget be frontloaded. Even if we can’t purchase attack helicopters, we should consider hiring to be deployed to black spots areas,” he said.