Sunday Aborisade reviews the meeting between the leadership of the Senate and security chiefs over the mounting security challenges in the country amid insistence of opposition Senators to proceed with impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari
With no indication that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led executive arm of the Federal Government will be acting on any of its resolutions and reports on security conferences, opposition lawmakers in the Senate are hell bent on going ahead with their planned impeachment proceedings when they return from their annual vacation in September.
The development is therefore generating unprecedented tension among the principal officers and body of principal officers.
Some of the opposition senators who spoke with THISDAY on and off the record, expressed doubts if the Buhari’s government would be able to stem the rising insecurity challenges before the expiration of their six-week ultimatum.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, Senator Gershom Bassey, insisted that the Buhari administration had not taken the federal parliament serious so far regarding the resolutions and reports on security passed to it.
He said, “We have had two security conferences which came up with a long list of solutions to the ongoing insecurity across the country. The only recommendation that was implemented was the change of security chiefs.
“Rather than implement the recommendations, the executive arm of government came to the Senate with a supplementary budget of about N900bn to enable it to tackle insecurity.
We still passed the bill and approved the entire money they requested for. We had earlier approved $1bn which they said was purely to tackle insecurity.
“Anytime they come up with any financial request to address insecurity, we are always willing and ready to approve without delay. We are very serious about the issue of security in the National Assembly.
“The bottom line is not about money now. We are not even talking about funding at this time. We are just interested in ensuring an improvement in the security situation across the country.”
Similarly, the Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Customs and Excise, Senator Francis Fadahunsi, ruled out the possibility of Buhari-led administration handling the crisis within the six weeks ultimatum.
Fadahunsi said his colleagues in the opposition political parties in the Senate had made up their minds to go ahead with the impeachment proceeding on resumption.
According to him, majority of the Senators across political party lines had already passed a vote of no confidence on Buhari because of his administration’s inability to address the worsening security situation in the country.
He expressed doubts in the ability of Buhari to tackle the embarrassing security challenges currently facing the country in six weeks since he couldn’t do so for seven years.
Fadahunsi vowed that the impeachment proceedings would commence as soon as his colleagues resume their current six-week annual vacation on September 20.
He said, “We have been talking and giving suggestions on how we could end the insecurity challenges facing the country but the Head (Senate President) is hooked to the Villa. He has been frustrating all moves by us to take drastic measures against the President.
“We have now made up our mind to strike now that the iron is still hot instead of wasting our time, cooperating with the Ahmad Lawan leadership while the nation is being destroyed by terrorists with no plan by the government to stop them. We won’t wait until we are all killed.
“We have now decided to pull out of the “rubber stamp” arrangement so that the whole Nigerians would know that we have not been in support of the failing economy, the huge debts accumulation, falling naira, insecurity across the country and the unprecedented forms of corruption going on in the polity.
“Unfortunately, the man heading us now (Lawan) was leading the opposition lawmakers before and was challenging the rots in the system then. Now, he doesn’t want anyone to challenge the Buhari’s government when things are falling apart everyday.
“Any leader that opposes such challenge in a democratic setting must also be challenged because we are elected by the people.
“Go and interview most of the Senators. There is no effective oversight of the ministries, departments and agencies of the federal government. Buhari will bring the budget and his people here will want us to pass it as he brings it. No examinations and heads of MDAs are doing what they like.
“Those who voted for Buhari in 2015 thought he could contain the insecurity being a former military general but unfortunately things are getting worse under his watch and he appeared helpless.
“That is why we resolved that if we come back on September 20 and discovered that the situation is still the same, with no appreciable steps taken, we would impeach him.
“We will first impeach anyone who says we will not impeach Buhari. If anybody tries to block us here, whether the Senate President or anyone in the Senate, we will remove the person.
“Mr. President is finding it difficult to sack his non performing security chiefs while those terrorising the nation are not being arrested. There is tension everywhere and something drastic has to be done.”
Interestingly, the leadership of the Senate last Wednesday, held a marathon four-hour meeting with military chiefs and heads of security and intelligence agencies over the deteriorating security situation in the country with both sides maintaining sealed lips after the closed-door parley.
President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan led other principal officers of the Senate and Chairmen of security related committees to the meeting which started around 3pm and ended at 7pm.
Chief of Defence Staff. General Lucky Irabor also led to the talks the three Service Chiefs, Inspector General of Police, heads of Intelligence agencies like NIA and DSS and also Commandant General of Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps(NSCDC).
The National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd) was represented because he was attending the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the time.
Lawan told journalists before they were sent packing from the hall that the meeting was at the instance of the Senate leadership.
He said, “We have invited you today for what is obvious, what is before everyone, what is of concern and of interest to every Nigerian today.
“The Senate, before we went on recess last week Wednesday, we had discussions over the security situation in the country.
“But even before then, we have had several discussions over the security situation.
“Let me say, this Senate particularly and indeed even the previous sessions of the National Assembly generally, have shown serious commitment and partnership with the executive arm of government.
“As far as I can remember, there has never been an administration in this country, especially since the Fourth Republic started in 1999, that invested so much resources in the security of this country like this present administration.
“I have no doubt about it. I am a participant. To a very large extent I can say that none.
“We believe that as a National Assembly, we have always met this Executive at the right position, at the right time, most especially when it concerns investment in the security of life and property in Nigeria.
“We have also, in our individual capacities as committees of the National Assembly and infact as a National Assembly shown concern about the security situation.
“The security situation of any country cannot be one hundred percent satisfactory but of course there is a level at which no country can be comfortable with insecurity.
“Ours has lingered definitely. We had hoped that by this time, the security situation in Nigeria would have been far better and Nigeria would have made more progress not only in the area of security but also in the area of economy which is tied to the security situation again.
“I believe that all security agencies and armed forces have been doing their best but apparently we have to do more to achieve what we desire to achieve.
“There are, of course, several arguments whether the resources available to our Armed forces and our security agencies are enough or not. Definitely not enough.
“I don’t know of any country where there is enough really. But even within the scarcity that we have, this administration and this Senate and National Assembly has always prioritise the security of our country.
“This particular session of the interaction between us is to look into where we are today and probably this current position where we are is most frightening because it is like there is nowhere to hide, no where to go.
“Insecurity is everywhere and especially, if it is coming to the point of dislocating the security situation where the government is quartered. We will really review and see what more we have to do and how differently we have to do.
“Our population is largely peasant. Most of our people are in the rural areas and they live their lives by going to farms. We all know this. In many parts of the country today, that is an herculean task.
“My belief is that we can do better to secure the rural areas. The so-called ungoverned space. At least for our population who go to farms to earn their living.
“Where our agricultural productivity is drastically going down, that will complicate the security situation because the most ordinary Nigerian cares more about what he or she or what the family will eat. And of course, all other things are secondary.
“We have problem with our economy to some extent because of insecurity. No foreign direct investment or not as much as we would ordinarily attract to our country.
“Our prayer is to start seeing serious, remarkable and dramatic changes from today. We hope that our discussions will give us the opportunity to consider other things or other areas or ideas that we didn’t have before,” Lawan said.
General Irabor, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, commended the Senate leadership for the invitation which he described as “an in-house discussion based on mutual concern.”
He said, “I believe that the wisdom of the Senate President and Senate leadership to convene this meeting is borne out of the fact that issues of national security must be seen from a collective perspective.
“That whatever the situation is, there is always room for rubbing of minds to make contributions to the effect that we have a more secured environment where every Nigerian will have a sense of security in truth, such that our individual and collective aspirations could be achieved,” General Irabor said.
He told the meeting that “quite a lot has happened, quite a lot has been done, quite a lot is being done to ensure that we improve on the security situation across the country.
“The commitment is there. It’s very profound. I believe that as we go into discussions on specifics, it will be clear that no one is leaving any stone unturned in redressing all the imbalances within the security environment.”
Meanwhile, findings by THISDAY has revealed that the minority caucus in both chambers of the federal legislature are still meeting regularly despite their six week vacation to perfect strategies for the impeachment.
Members of the Peoples Democratic Party in the House of Representatives had also agreed to support the moves by their counterpart in the Senate to impeach President Buhari if he failed to address the insecurity situation in the country within six weeks.
The Senate Minority Leader, Phillip Aduda and his counterpart in the House of Representatives, Ndudi Elumelu, briefed journalists after the joint closed door meeting penultimate Thursday.
They said the collection of signatures across party lines would be taken at the two chambers in September, if Buhari failed to tackle insecurity before the expiration of their ultimatum.
Aduda explained that the plan to sack Buhari if he failed to honour their demands, was not the idea of the minority caucus in the Senate but a resolution taken by the entire senators at the closed session held on Wednesday.
Aduda said, “Indeed, all of you are aware of what happened yesterday and we felt that there was the need to be on the same page with the members of the members of the House of Representatives.
“Our action yesterday were spontaneous from the issues that were raised on the floor of the Senate.
“I am sure that members of the Press must have interacted with our various colleagues to know that this issue is not just about the PDP caucus but it is a bipartisan issue.
“We all agreed that the security architecture is failing and there is need to salvage it immediately and we also agreed that we must issue an impeachment notice to the President because the primary responsibility of government is the protection of lives of the citizens.
“We have called the caucus in the House of Representatives so that we can discuss with them so that they can hear from us and understand what we did yesterday.”
Elumelu also told journalists that his colleagues in the green chambers would start collecting signatures as soon as the ultimatum expires without improvement in the disturbing security situation in the country.
He said, “They (senators), have given six weeks for Mr. President to address the insecurity that is, of course, affecting this nation, and I want to join on behalf of my colleagues to also say that upon the expiration, we will proffer ways of ensuring that we will gather all the signatures.
“Let me make it clear. Those who are thinking that it is only the issue of PDP or the minority caucus. Many of our colleagues under the bipartisanship are affected. Many of them are affected.
“They may not be speaking but we may be speaking for them. And when them time comes. I heard somebody this morning saying it is a laughable attempt to want do that.
“Perhaps, when the action starts, the person will find out that it’s not a laughable action. It’s real and we will not stand to allow this nation collapse.
“We think that it is high time, the insecurity of this nation is addressed. We also have the issue of oil theft which has risen, now making it difficult for us to earn income from oil revenue.
“These and many others are the reasons we are joining our colleagues in the Senate to ask Mr. President to address the insecurity of this nation within six weeks.
“Otherwise, we will find the constitutional means to ensure that we serve him an impeachment notice.”
The body language of the Senate President after the meeting with the military and security chiefs last week suggested that the hope of addressing the issue before September 20 was obviously not in sight.
