Insecurity: What we discussed with Buhari – Lawan

The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has given insights into what the presiding officers discussed with President Muhammadu Buhari over the security challenges Nigeria is facing.

Mr Lawan said both the executive and legislative arms of government agreed to hold a security summit in order to check the plaque of security mishaps prevailing in the country.

He met with Mr Buhari on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, alongside the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila,

“We are going to collaborate and cooperate with the executive arm of government, work together to ensure we find better approaches, improved paradigm to ensure we improve the current situation,” Mr Lawan told journalists after they emerged from the meeting.

“At the end of the day, we are going to have a security summit that will be a collaboration between the two arms of government.

“This is essential because while we provide the legislative intervention that is required, the executive arm of government is the one that implements. So we have to work together and we will do that,” Mr Lawan noted.

Violent crimes are rapidly spreading across the country. Nigeria is growing increasingly tense over killings, armed robbery and kidnappings recorded daily.

No fewer than 500 persons were either killed or kidnapped in parts of the country between June and July, a PREMIUM TIMES security analysis showed.

President Buhari has been criticised by many Nigerians who are insisting on a more vigorous approach to the perilous situation.

Prominent voices like Wole Soyinka and Olusegun Obasanjo have warned of impending disaster should the president fail to properly tackle the security challenges.

Despite the criticisms, however, Mr Buhari on Tuesday insisted that security is topmost in his priority.

The president maintained that government has “recorded successes” in degrading the Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast, saying that offenders took advantage of the focus on the North-east to commit crimes in other parts of the country.

During Wednesday’s briefing, Mr Lawan also expressed satisfaction over the confirmation of Justice Tanko Muhammad as Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).

Mr Muhammad was earlier confirmed by the Senate.

“The CJN confirmation was a fantastic way to start the confirmation process and we are very happy we are able to confirm him today having received a letter of request from Mr President only last week.”

The Senate president said political appointees will be confirmed on Thursday.

“In fact tomorrow we are going to confirm some directors of the NCC (Nigeria Communication Commission). What we did today is to set the tone of what will be coming in the future.”

PREMIUM TIMES reported how President Buhari nominated as commissioner in the NCC, Aliyu Abubakar who was once rejected for the same position by the Senate over shady academic records.

Mr Abubakar was named among five nominees sent by President Buhari as announced by Mr Lawan on the Senate floor penultimate Tuesday.