- FG to recruit more soldiers, says Osinbajo
By Lawrence Olaoye
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday met the leadership of the National Assembly, represented by the Senate President, Sen. Ahmad Lawan and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, on the worsening security situation in the country.
This is just as Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has disclosed that the federal government will recruit more troops and officers to beef up the personnel of security agencies in order to contain the threats and security concerns in the country.
Responding to question from newsmen after the close door meeting which lasted over one hour behind closed door, Lawan disclosed that they discussed all issues around the challenge of insecurity including the controversial issue of demand for the sack of the service chiefs by the lawmakers and the majority of Nigerians.
It could be recalled that the Senate had last week urged the President to rejig the nation’s security architecture while the House of Representatives called for outright sack of the service chiefs for nonperformance.
Lawan, who said that the President was worried about insecurity in the country, added that Buhari was on the same page with the National Assembly on the need to do whatever it takes to ensure that security agencies are able to perform better than they are currently doing.
The Senate President equally disclosed that they resolved to prioritize procurement of relevant equipment for the use of security personnel as well as their welfare.
Asked whether they discussed the vexed issue of demand for the sack of service chiefs, the Senate President said “We discussed everything that matters as far as the issue of security of this country is concerned. We believe that it is imperative that we are able to provide those necessary equipment and welfare for the armed forces of this country and the police, to ensure that they are able to operate and perform efficiently and effectively.”
On whether the sack of the Service Chiefs could resolve the insecurity issue, Lawan said “You see, in matters of security of course as leaders we are supposed to lead but when it concerns security every single citizen matters in this. So it is for all of us, citizens and leaders to ensure that we are playing our part as it is necessary. But I believe that now the time has come, we have reached a tipping point that everybody in Nigeria is concerned about the security situation and therefore we are all prepared and that is why we have come to meet with Mr. President as leaders of National Assembly on behalf of our colleagues, to discuss the way forward. And of course I believe that citizens participation is critical and crucial.”
Asked whether the President was concerned about the prevailing insecurity across the country, the Speaker said “probably more. Is the President looking to do something about it? Answer: yes. The question of security is uppermost in his mind and he opened up to us and you must understand that some communications are privileged. But, suffice to say that the President is concerned and he intends to do something about our challenges.”
On whether the sack of the Service Chiefs could end insecurity, Gbajabiamila said “Opinions are divided. The generality of the opinion is that the service chiefs should go. That was evident in our debates in the House of Representatives and in the Senate. But sometimes you don’t want a knee-jack reaction.
“Many of us identify that something drastic has to be done. There is also the school of thought that says since we are talking about banditry, kidnapping and murders, what have the armed forces got to do with that anywhere in the world? So the question then arises that if he (President) changes the service chiefs, does that address the issues of kidnapping and banditry? The Army, Navy and Air-force are outfits set up to tackle external aggression. It is the police that is set up for internal security, such as we are all witnessing.
“That’s talking about service chiefs, has the Inspector-General of Police met up with his responsibilities? The question is, if we now narrow it down to the Inspector General of Police, many will argue that he has done a very good job and many will argue with you that he’s armstrung, straight-jacketed. There is very little he can do in the face of no equipment, no funding and we explained to Mr President that we have to increase funding, we have to recruit more.
We are talking, even just right now we have gone on to set up a committee that will periodically review the issue of security, maybe once a month or once in six weeks, which will involve the two arms of government and the party.
Major progress was made in this discussion, which is a meeting that lasted over an hour and I believe Nigerians will begin to see traction; they’ll begin to see changes. You can be sure that concrete steps will be taken in that direction.”
On recruitment of more soldiers, Osinbajo disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen yesterday by his spokesman, Osinbajo while receiving on a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa clergymen from the Northern part of Nigeria under the auspices of the Arewa Pastors Forum for Peace.
“In fact, we have to now recruit more into the army, and much faster than we ever did because we need men on the ground; resources also – to buy more arms, to buy more platforms,” the Vice President said.
While describing how serious the Buhari administration considered the task, he added that “at the last meeting of the National Security Council that was held on Thursday, we had discussions on how to beef up the military’s platforms. How do we beef up the numbers? How do we recruit more men and women into the army? How do we collaborate more with local vigilante, the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) and all that.”
He urged the group as ‘Men of God,” to also come up with ideas and their thoughts on how to find lasting peace.
Earlier in his remark, President of the Forum, Bishop Mbayo Japhet said the group’s visit to the Presidential Villa was to support the administration and the Vice President, describing him as an apostle of peace.
