By Jude Opara & Orkula Shaagee, Abuja
The senate yesterday berated President Muhammadu Buhari over the security situation in the country which has resulted to massive killing and destruction of property across the country.
The Senators on the floor of plenary questioned why President Buhari should continue to remain in office as Commander-In-Chief if he cannot marshal the country’s security to protect the people.
The Vote of No Confidence in Buhari’s inability to secure Nigeria comes in the wake of Saturday’s brutal massacre of 43 rice farmers in Zabarmari District of Jere Local Government Area of Borno State.
According to the Senators, President Buhari has breached the 1999 Constitution as amended against the backdrop that has failed to adhere to section 14(1) of 1999 Constitution which has to do with the government and the people as well as stipulates that the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be a state based on the principles of democracy and Social Justice.
The Senate said that Nigeria as a nation cannot move forward until the lives of every Nigerian is protected and secured, just as it stressed that the primary objective of government is the provision of security and the protection of its citizens, adding that protecting the lives and property of citizens is the primary obligation of government and any government that cannot discharge this basic obligation losses any iota of legitimacy.
Resolutions of the Senate Tuesday were sequel to a motion entitled, ” Beheading of 67 Farmers in Borno by Boko Haram insurgents: Need for Urgent Decisive Action” and sponsored by Senator Kassim Shettima, All Progressives Congress, APC, Borno Central and co- sponsored by 17 other Senators.
The Senate which read riot act to the President, asked him to immediately sack the Service Chiefs and appoint fresh ones against the backdrop that the present have lost their usefulness and have nothing to offer the country towards nipping in the bud, the security challenges in the country.
It asked the President to immediately initiate a way of sacking the current overstayed service chiefs and replace them with new ones with new ideas and solutions.
According to the Senate, the time has come for Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin; National Security Adviser, NSA, Major- General Mohammed Babagana Monguno; Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Yusuf Buratai; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar and Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Marshal Ibok- Ete Ibas to go because they have outlived their usefulness.
The Upper Chamber has also said that sixty- seven farmers were killed in very gruesome manner in Borno State on Saturday as against the forty- three being reported.
The lawmakers adopted these after almost an hour-long deliberation on insecurity across the country and the recent killing of 43 farmers in Borno State. Recall that there was Saturday mass killing of rice farmers in Zabarmari community in Jere Local Government Area of Borno State.
The victims were buried on Sunday and a delegation of the federal government led by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, paid a condolence visit to the state on Monday.
The Senate urged President Buhari to take immediate steps to restructure, remodel: and revamp the country’s entire security architecture and provide enough state-of-the-art weapons and equipment to effectively combat the belligerent power of the insurgents.
Reps in Rowdy Session, Invite Buhari over Insecurity
The House of Representatives was yesterday in turbulent and rowdy session over a motion to invite President Muhammadu Buhari to explain the Nigerian security situation, which has taken dangerous perspective in the last time.
The motion moved by Hon. Satomi Ahmed on behalf other 10 Borno State lawmakers on the floor, prayed the president to amongst other things, declare a State of Emergency on security matters throughout the country.
However, another Borno lawmaker, Hon. Ahamdu Jaha, who relied on Order 6, Rule 1 of the House, said the original motion to which all the lawmakers agreed on, was to call on the President to address the House on the security situation, especially in the north east region.
“My amendment is that Mr. President should be invited to come and explain the security situation in the country, especially in the North-East”, he said.
While his amendment got the support of the House, the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, said it was not necessary, stressing that the “state of emergency prayer sufficed”.
Gbajabiamila’s ruling was rejected even though the majority leader of the House, Ado Doguwa added his voice, saying that security issues could not be discussed openly, pleading for the understanding of his colleagues not to summon the president.
His contribution was however greeted with a thunderous shout of no, no, no.
However, the rising tension prompted the Speaker to suddenly call for executive session to resolve the matter.
On resumption from the brief executive session, which was held behind closed doors, the Representative Ahmed Jaha who is one of the sponsors of the motion moved an amendment to invite the President to brief on the security situation in the country.
The amendment was seconded and unanimously adopted. No date was, however, announced for the invitation.
Dailyasset
