The President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan says adequate measures would be taken to improve the security of lives and property of citizens in all parts of the country.
Speaking to State House Correspondents after he met behind closed doors with President Buhari on Monday, Lawan said the right thing would be done ahead of the rainy season, to ensure that farmers work on their farms without any threat.
He said: “We had a very extensive discussion on the security of all parts of Nigeria, and how we should go about improving the situation, we all have roles to play.
“Nobody would like to see the kind of thing that we experience in various parts of the country in the form of insecurity. As well, it’s going to lead us to have responsibilities to our people.
“And we cannot shy away from that we have to get our people secured, we have to secure the environment for them to earn the means of livelihood, we would like to see our farmers go back to farms before the rainy season starts. And this means we have to secure the rural parts of Nigeria as well as the urban centres because we need businesses to flourish.”
The President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan says the security situation in Nigeria would improve within the next two months, as the government gears efforts toward sustaining peace across the country.
Lawan said the government is determined to sustain the country’s unity because all Nigerians believe in the indivisibility of Nigeria.
“I came to meet with Mr President, to discuss the issue of security of our nation. And we had a very extensive discussion on the security of all parts of Nigeria, and how we should go about improving the situation, we all have roles to play.
“So, I believe that between now and probably the next two months, there will be a lot of activities to ensure that we secure will cover and secure environments for people to lead a very normal life,” Lawan said.
The Right Steps
The Senate President praised the Muhammadu Buhari led administration for working so hard to revamp the economy in line with its campaign promise to Nigerians.
He also praised the National Economic Council consisting of all State Governors, for calling on the government to take funds from the excess crude account to acquire more weapons for the country’s Armed Forces.
“We also believe that the government is headed in the right direction. You recall that the National Economic Council approved of taking some funds from the excess crude accounts with a view to giving more sources to our armed forces.
“This is a commendable effort and we are ready to help with appropriation to ensure that we buy those we acquire. We pray so for the emphasis of this country to fight. To end this insecurity in the North, in the Northwest, in the South, in South-south and Southwest as well.
“We believe that this is also going to help empower and build the capacity of other security agencies like the police because the police need to be there. They’re supposed to maintain the internal security and whenever the armed forces secure the environment, the police should be there to stay put and make sure there is law and order,” he said.
Commenting on recent remarks about quit notices issued by some citizens residing in various parts of the country, the President of the Senate said such comments are uncalled for.
“Recently, there have been a lot of arguments on what should happen, why should not especially with regards to what political leaders would say or not supposed to say. I want to point out very clearly that the Nigerian citizen believes in Nigeria so strongly, and that is why you will find an Igbo man in the South Eastern in the remotest part of northern Nigeria.
“That’s why you will find a Hausa man in faraway, Southwest or south-east or south-south and probably even marry from those areas. Probably he will sell him kola nuts, but he believes that this is Nigeria and he can live peacefully and is living and making a family. you will find a Yoruba man in faraway, South Eastern or northern Nigeria, maybe even becoming an indigene.
“I was born and brought up in Gashua, Gashua is in Yobe State and I want to use this as an example of how people can be integrated. The Kalega family lived in Gashua for almost 100 years. We are born to see the family like that. I earned a scholarship from my state, the Kalega family members earned the same scholarship. In fact, they are indigenes of my local government.
“So, we have this Nigerianness in our citizens. As political leaders, we are supposed to ensure that we support this kind of feeling. By giving everybody protection; if a Yoruba man, a Southwestern decides to live in faraway Sokoto, he should be protected.
“If a Hausa man decides to live in faraway Bonny or Port Harcourt, you should be protected, and so on and so forth. Because this is how we will be able to use our diversity to weave it into a capacity to make Nigeria a big and successful nation.
“So, I believe that we will walk throughout both the federal government, the state governments and even the local governments and our traditional rulers will have a role to play in this.”
NDDC Audit
Ahmed Lawan also told Journalists that his discussion with the President touched on the ongoing forensic audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the need to punish whoever is found wanting at the end of the audit.
“I agree with Mr President, that we have to end the forensic audit to ensure that everything is done properly and the report is submitted to him.
“And here, it is very, very significant, that whoever is found culpable, should be treated as such. So, that that will serve as a lesson and as a deterrent to others because NDDC should have transformed the Niger Delta into a better environment than what it has,” he said.
Zainab Sa’id
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