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Senate investigates budget utilisation by army

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Senator Ali Ndume
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The Senate said on Wednesday that it had commenced investigation into the Nigerian Army’s utilisation of its 2019, 2020 and 2021 budgets.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, Sen. Mohammed Ali Ndume, made the disclosure when he led commitee members on oversight of the 6 Division Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt.

Ndume said the investigation would enable the committee to properly make budgetary allocation for the army in 2022.

According to him, the inspection of projects in barracks and interaction with the army hierarchy would enable the committee to make adjustments in the 2022 Appropriation Bill.

“This will enable the committee to know areas that need adjustment, addition and attention, especially now that the 2022 budget is before the National Assembly.

“This oversight function will enable us to allocate what the army will get in 2022 with focus to the security challenges we are facing across the country,” he said.

Ndume said the strength of any nation was determined by the strength of its military and paramilitary agencies, noting that the government would continue to assist them to succeed.

He noted that the army was currently being overstretched due to its engagement in multiple fronts across the country.

“We commend the military and encourage the new guard (service chiefs) to continue with their good works while observing the rules of engagement,” he added.

The senator thanked the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Farouk Yahaya, for boosting the morale of troops and condoled with the 6 Division over the death of Maj.-Gen. Olu Irefin.

The General Officer Commanding (GOC), 6 Division Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Sani Mohammed, commended the committee for its efforts to address the constraints in the army.

“We are happy that most of the interventions have been done especially in the area of equipment that are coming and efforts to improve army barracks.

“We also appreciate the donation of various types of operational vehicles to the army while the COAS has informed us that many more are coming,” he said.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives on Wednesday said it would consider better budgetary allocation for the Nigerian Navy in the 2022 Appropriation Bill.

The Chairman, House Committee on Navy, Rep. Yusuf Gadji, gave the assurance whe he led other members of the committee on inspection of projects at the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder, Port Harcourt.

According to him, the navy and NNS Pathfinder had recorded milestone achievements in the execution of projects in its formations and units as budgeted in the 2020 fiscal year.

“We are on oversight to seek feedback from the navy that we superintend over, to enable us to address the concerns and seek ways to improve their operations.

“Going by what we have seen from our inspection of NNS Pathfinder base, we can say that they are doing a good job in the area of contract execution.

“We understand the challenges in this base but we will only assist in budgeting for the primary projects that are more significant due to the meagre resources available,” he said.

Gadji said the National Assembly was currently seeking ways to make the nation’s armed forces self-sufficient in the area of funding.

“To this end, we have two bills before the national assembly, including the Armed Forces Support Fund and the Maritime Security Trust Fund.

“These bills when passed will go a long way to solving the problems associated with funding of our military,” he said.

In a presentation, the Commander, NNS Pathfinder, Commodore Abdullahi Ahmed, said the base had destroyed hundreds of illegal refineries, bunkering sites as well as made many arrests in 2021 alone.

He said the successes were recorded with the deployment of swamp buggy machines that completely crushes the illegal refineries, thereby making it impossible for them to be reactivated. (NAN)

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Defence and Security

 Insecurity: Senate To Hold National Security Summit

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President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio
Senate-President-Godswill-Akpabio
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The Nigerian Senate is set tp hold a national security Summit to address the current security charges headlong.

This was also done during the 8th and the 9th National Assembly , the Senate resolved to hold a two – day National Security Summit for lasting solutions to the myriad of problems of insecurity bedeviling the country .

Those to attend the planned National Security Summit shall include delegates from the Federal, States, and Local Governments as well as the Traditional Institutions to propose legitimate solutions to insecurity and its challenges in the country.

It also resolved that the Federal Government should use resolutions from the proposed summit to rejig the country’s security architecture through formulation and implementation of very proactive and pragmatic policies .

The resolutions were sequel to a motion sponsored for that effect by Senator Jimoh Ibrahim ( APC Ondo South) and co – sponsored by Senators Zam Titus , Senator Peter Onyeka Nwebonyli, Onyeka Peter, APC, Ebonyi North and Senator Ngwu Osita, PDP, Enugu West.

Senator Jimoh Ibrahim in the motion titled : ” Urgent Need for a National Security Summit” said that high level of global insecurity is driven by events in Russia and Ukraine and compounded by tensions between the global north and global south which according to him ,
have worsened food insecurity and affected the attainment of sustainable development goals (SDGs).

He posited that the growing impact of the tariff war in America and the rising emphasis on balance of power by various countries, are reflected in the new international order, concerning immigration and the cancellation of visas by the new regimes, which has necessitated some countries to raise funds by selling citizenship, intensifying economic conflict, and undermining globalization, which the investment the global space has pursued over the last sixty years;

He further notes the significance of power, influence, and authority at the geo-centric level, as such, Nigeria must clarify its strategic engagement in the international arena and the roles of the Senate in advising the executive to help the government achieve substantial value for Nigeria and uphold its sovereignty, as the next world war may not even require the fanfare of militarism, but the i dible growing ic war is gaining ground with destructive innovation in security globally.

The Senate he added, is aware that recent events in our region have led to feelings of discomfort and insecurity, which has placed the past accomplishments of our security forces at risk even though, our military and its partners are striving to address these challenges, they do not have solutions to the global economic conflict or the effects of new American tariffs and tensions with China.

“As a result, insecurity across Nigeria has become pervasive, impacting on both urban and rural areas, where banditry, ransom kidnappings, and terrorism are pressing issues, across the country as well as other violent crimes”, he stressed .

According to him, the historical trajectory of political crises, such as the Kano riot of 1953, the Eastern Region constitutional crises of 1953, the census crises of 1962-63, and the Action Group crises of 1962 and 1967-70, the Federal Election of 1964, the Western Nigeria Election of 1965, the General Election of 1979, the executive versus legislative crises of 1981 in Kaduna, and the general election 1983, cannot be forgotten as the election approaches.

He explained further that National Security Summit was very necessary for expertise ideas to compliment President Bola Tinubu’s seriousness on the peace of Nigeria, saying “there is need for some fact-finding intelligence support for Mr. President’s efforts even of the fact that most military strategies and languages such as Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliet, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-ray, Yankee, are no longer exclusive to the military.

“No country will allow its citizens to understand security by living with insecurity, therefore, the ideology of peace for all, as outlined in the executive policy leg of the Renewed Hope Agenda should be upheld and promoted.

See also External Debt: Buhari’s theory of servicing debt with scarce revenue destructive; I won’t sustain it: Tinubu “Can we continue to service external debts with 90% of our revenue?” Mr Tinubu asked. “It is a path to destruction. It is not sustainable.”
“To address the challenges highlighted above, it Is imperative that empirical fact-finding National Security Summit is organized by the Senate to assist in providing the requisite platform for exhaustive and far reaching deliberations on the way forward”, he said .

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Defence and Security

Senate Confirms Appointment Of Oluyede As COAS

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Major General Olufemi Oluyede
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The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede for appointment as Chief of Army Staff.

The confirmation today followed the consideration of reports by the Chairman of the sense committee on Army, Sen. Yar’ adua, Abdulaziz Musa (Katsina Central).

The committee’s recommendations were unanimously adopted by the upper chamber.

Lieutenant General Oluyede was appointed to act as the Chief of Army Staff following the illness and subsequent death of Lt. Gen. Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja.

 

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Defence and Security

Tinubu Appoints New DG for NIA, DSS

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President Bola Tinubu
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
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President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of new Directors-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the Department of State Services (DSS).

Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed is the new Director-General of the NIA.

Mr. Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi is the new Director-General of the DSS.

This is contained in a statement by Chief Ajuri Ngelale Special Adviser to the President, Media & Publicity

The statement reads : “Ambassador Mohammed has had an illustrious career in the foreign service since joining the NIA in 1995.

He had served in various roles, culminating in his promotion to the rank of Director and his subsequent appointment as the head of the Nigerian mission to Libya”

“The 1990 graduate of Bayero University, Kano, had served in North Korea, Pakistan, Sudan, and at the State House, Abuja”

“The new DSS Director-General, Mr.

Adeola Ajayi, rose through the ranks to attain his current post of Assistant Director-General of the Service. He had, at various times, served as State Director in Bauchi, Enugu, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Kogi”

“The new appointments follow the resignation of the previous NIA and DSS chiefs”

“President Tinubu expects that the new security chiefs will work assiduously to reposition the two intelligence agencies for better results and charges them to bring their experience to bear in tackling the security challenges bedeviling the country through enhanced collaboration with sister agencies and in surgical alignment with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

The President thanks the outgoing Directors-General of the two pivotal intelligence agencies for their services to the nation while wishing them success in their future endeavours”

 

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