Thursday marked the official sending of a letter to the House of Representatives from President Bola Tinubu, requesting that the newly appointed Service Chiefs be confirmed in their positions.
The request was included in a letter that was read out loud during the plenary session that took place on Thursday by the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas.
The President made a request to the legislators, asking them to take into consideration the expeditious confirmation of the Service Chiefs in accordance with the laws that are currently in place.
The Arewa Consultative Forum had recommended to the President that he enter into negotiations with the bandits who were terrorizing the North-West region.
Chief of Defense Staff; Maj. Gen. C.G. Musa, Chief of Army Staff; Maj. T. A. Lagbaja, Chief of Naval Staff; Rear Admiral E. Ogalla, and AVM Abubakar, Chief of Air Staff; these are the service chiefs that need to be confirmed.
Tinubu stated that the request complied with the requirements outlined in the first paragraph of section 18 of the Armed Forces Act. Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, Chapter A20, Year 2004.
According to the PUNCH’s reporting, the heads of security were given their positions on June 19, when the National Assembly was not in session.
The letter stated, in part, as follows: “In compliance with the provisions of section 18(1) of the Armed Forces Act. CAP A20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria,2004, I am pleased to present, for confirmation by the Senate, the four nominees listed below as Chief of Defence Staff and Service Chiefs for the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.” This was one of the provisions of the Armed Forces Act. CAP A20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria,2004.
“The House of Representatives is invited to take note of the current security situation of our country, which requires the concerted efforts of both the legislature and the executive to ensure a well-protected Nation.”
The following names were added to the letter: Major General C.G. Musa, Chief of Defence Staff; Major T. A. Lagbaja, Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admiral E. A. Ogalla, Chief of Naval Staff; and AVM H.B. Abubakar, Chief of Air Staff.
“In light of this, a review of our defense architecture was carried out, and new commanders were selected so that they could collaborate effectively with one another to achieve the level of optimal performance that is expected of the armed forces.
“While I hope that the request will receive the expeditious consideration and confirmation of the House of Representatives, please accept, Rt. Hon. Speaker, the assurances of my highest consideration.”
In the meantime, the Arewa Consultative Forum announced on Thursday that it would back any strategy to put an end to banditry in certain areas of the north, including negotiations with the criminals.
On the other hand, the pan-Northern group was adamant that the Federal Government should establish the parameters of the negotiations before they were even considered.
According to Malam Murtala Aliyu, the forum’s Secretary-General, this was done to make certain that the current round of negotiations would not be unsuccessful like the ones that came before.
He maintained that the use of military force would lead to “collateral damage” and that it should only be considered as an option of last resort because of this.
The group agreed with Ahmad Yerima, a former governor of Zamfara State, who suggested that the current governors of the states in the North-West should have a conversation with the bandits who are terrorizing the area.
“Starting a conversation is the first and most important step in finding a solution to the problem of bandits. “But as I said, if that fails, then the government will go all out to eliminate them,” Yerima had said after paying the President a courtesy visit on Monday. The visit was intended to show respect for the office of the president.
The ACF has stated that it is pleased with any action that will reduce the level of danger in the area as well as in other parts of the country.
Aliyu made the following statement: “ACF will welcome any approach that will resolve the issue. Both the non-kinetic and the kinetic approaches are known to be vitally important. However, in order for the government to enter into negotiations with the bandits, they must first establish the ground rules for such negotiations. This is necessary due to the fact that there have been previous negotiations that were unsuccessful. The results were not satisfying at all.
Therefore, before entering into negotiations with them this time, the government must ensure that all of the necessary parameters are in place. What we are getting at is that any approach that will solve the problem should be pursued, including negotiations if at all possible.”
No amnesty – Zamfara
On the other hand, the government of Zamfara State has pledged to wage a serious war against bandits and has emphasized that there will be no amnesty for them.
On Tuesday, the Secretary to the State Government, Abubakar Nakwada, gave an interview to the media inside his office. He stated that the state government would wage a war against them until they were completely eradicated from the state.
According to statements made by Nakwada, the administration of Governor Dauda Lawal does not intend to engage in any form of reconciliation or hold discussions with the bandits.
He insisted that the state government would hunt them down wherever they were hiding in order to drive them out of the state and bring back peace.
He stated, “We are not discussing amnesty at this time.” We have no intention of making peace with them, and we are prepared to confront them head-on.
In related news, Senate President Godswill Akpabio skipped the plenary session on Thursday in order to attend a’very important’ meeting with the President at the Presidential Villa.
Jibrin Barau, who serves as the Deputy President of the Senate, presided over the general session, during which he explained to his fellow senators why Akpabio was not present.
Barau said, “Let me inform you that the Senate President could not attend today’s proceedings because he has a very important meeting at the Villa.” He went on to explain why the Senate President was unable to be present.
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When it came time to present his motion, our correspondent also noticed that Senator Adams Oshiomole, a former governor of Edo state, requested permission to leave the plenary and therefore was unable to present his motion.
Although the deputy Senate President did not provide an explanation for why Akpabio hurried to the Presidential Villa, our correspondent has learned that it is not unconnected with the crisis that is currently brewing between the National Assembly and Senator Adamu Abdullahi, the National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress.
Adamu had stated that he was unaware of the nominations for the principal officers of the National Assembly, which had been announced by the Senate President as well as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.
Tuesday during a meeting with the Progressive Governors Forum led by Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, the national chairman stated that he was unaware of the recent development. He made this statement during the meeting.
