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Senators on Wednesday rejected the prayer seeking to stop Service Chiefs from diverting funds meant for purchasing security equipment to building Universities and purchasing yachts.
This came to the fore while the lawmakers were contributing to the motion on the “Suicide Attacks In Gwoza, Borno State: The Urgency To Stem The Tide Of This Ugly Menace,” moved by Ali Ndume.
Ndume brought the issue of the attack on his community to the Senate, urging the Security agencies to deploy the use of modern technology in the fight against insurgency.
Senator Ndume said, “On Saturday, 29th June 2024, brazen suicide bombers targeted a wedding ceremony, funeral, and hospital in sporadic and coordinated attacks in the Gwoza town of Borno State, which resulted in the unfortunate deaths of about 18 innocent Nigerians so far, leaving scores of other victims wounded with varied degrees of injuries;
“One of the incidents occurred near a busy motor park in Tashan Mararaba, Gwoza town and the victims were mainly civilians returning from a wedding ceremony, where the assailant was identified to be a young lady in her early twenties.”
He added, that these attacks have raised significant concerns about the “security situation in the region, which has been a flash point of terrorist attacks over the years, and this calls for concerted and coordinated efforts of the security agencies to address the state of insecurity in Borno State and other parts of the country, experiencing similar situations.”
He added, “Aware that in today’s world, asymmetric warfare, whereby its strategy and tactics, differ significantly from the normal conventional war, the approach by our security agencies should be scientifically and technologically based with the use of modern software and facilities to fight the menace.”
Ndume, thereafter, prayed the Senate to, “Observe a minute silence in honour of those innocent Nigerians who lost their precious lives from these unfortunate events;
“Urge the National Emergency Management Agency to intensify efforts by providing relief materials to the victims of the attacks.”
Ndume also added that “the Senate urge the Federal Government to direct the security agencies in the country to deploy the use of modern technology in the fight against insurgency and to make concerted efforts in securing the hot spots inhabited by the insurgents, namely, the Lake Chad Region, Sambisa Forest; and the Mandara Mountains, respectively.”
However, in his contributions, Adams Oshiomhole, ( APC, Edo North), said the Senate Committee on Army and Air Force should ensure that they do not only provide more money to the armed forces but that they guide jealously what the Security chiefs use that money to procure.
Oshiomhole said, “Under the supervision and oversight of this National Assembly, the previous service chiefs, had added money to build universities in their various communities.
“Those are the kinds of resources that should be used to procure modern technology. And to think that money will be diverted to non-essentials. And as we speak, those institutions are not teaching anything about security. They are just another glorified university. I think that this house has the power to appropriate.
“We should focus strictly on the items that the army and the Air Force and other security agencies are going to spend the money to do. Otherwise, everybody knows we need modern technology.”
Oshiomhole added, “In this House under your leadership, we have provided supplementary appropriation to the armed forces.
“Throwing money at the problem will not only solve it, we must assist them to redirect their procurement policies to focus on this technology. Otherwise, we can decline to approve appropriation if the details are not such that those managing the system will use the money strictly in a manner that will do justice to our collective feeling about redirecting and moving more and more towards technology.”
However, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, tried to tell Senator Oshiomole not to raise any allegations against anyone.
Akpabio said, “The only problem with the additional prayer is the allegation that previous service chiefs diverted money to build universities. Did they build personal universities or public universities?”
Not ready to withdraw his allegation, Oshiomhole responded, “Mr President, they built public universities. And I believe that if half of the money was used to threaten NDA, in terms of competence of the men and the rest used to procure modern technology for the emphasis.
“The emphasis will be far more competent. Somebody talks about how Israel reacted. I’m not sure it’s something I want to debate but they reacted with technology with men and women.
“No creative mushroom, educational institutions, each service that did not coincide with the priorities of the armed forces.
“Just last year when we were doing the supplementary budget, we saw that the Navy was prepared to buy a yacht, that is why the oversight responsibility of this Senate is extremely important to prevent the armed forces and other security agencies from prioritizing in a manner that coincides with what we think the Nigerian Army should be doing.”
Supporting the prayer, Senator Neda Imasuen (APC, Edo South) said I stand to support the prayer moved by Oshiomole.
Neda said, “The prayer that the money appropriated to the military should be directed to the core values and mandates, procurement of materials and instruments that will aid them in securing our country rather than build universities or procuring yachts.”
Following this, the Senate President put the additional prayer to a voice vote which was vehemently opposed by the lawmakers with a resounding Nay.
Not sure if they were serious or joking, Akpabio took the voice vote again and the response was still Nay by the majority of the lawmakers.
The additional prayer was, thereafter, dropped following the voice vote while the other three previous prayers by Ndume were accepted.
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