President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday explained why his administration was determined to end the Boko Haram insurgency as quickly as possible.
He said significant improvements in national security remained the topmost priority of his administration because other socio-economic initiatives cannot be successfully implemented without adequate security in the country.
According to the special adviser on media and publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the president said this at an audience with Britain’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Sir Nicholas Houghton, who paid him a visit at Aso Rock, Abuja.
Buhari said, “For a country to be efficiently administered, it must first be well secured because other social and economic initiatives cannot thrive in an atmosphere of insecurity.
“An environment has to be secured before it can be rehabilitated. Nigeria currently has about 1.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and they need to be returned to their homes and brought out of trauma.
“Their schools, hospitals, churches, mosques, farms and livelihoods have been destroyed by insurgents. If they are not catered for, the country may lose their loyalty.
“When Boko Haram is pushed out and the environment secured, normal life will be restored. That is what we are determined to do. Other things like farming, economic activities and social life will then return. Nigerians are quite enterprising.”
President Buhari further told the British Defence Chief that Nigeria appreciated Britain’s support for the retraining of its Armed Forces and asked for more assistance in other areas such as logistics, equipment and intelligence.
In the statement by Adesina, the president also called for more international support for regional efforts to improve security in the Gulf of Guinea through which crude oil stolen from Nigeria is shipped.
Speaking earlier, General Houghton said that the Buhari Presidency was a huge opportunity for Nigeria to make progress, adding that he was quite impressed with the progress Nigeria has made in the war against terrorism under President Buhari.
He assured the president that Britain will continue to support the federal government’s efforts to end the Boko Haram insurgency.
“We will also help to ensure that the causes of insurgency are removed. Beyond the military dimension, we are also interested in the stabilization dimension,” he said.
Presidency, NASS Leadership Mend Fences
Buhari-and-Saraki-Senate-leadershipThe seeming rift between the executive and the legislature may have been resolved as Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, hinted Wednesday night that the presidency and the National Assembly had resolved to work cordially in the interest of the country.
Saraki, who stated this after the National Assembly leadership met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said discussions at the meeting were hinged on how to strengthen the relationship between the executive and the legislative arms of government.
The Senate president told journalists that the meeting held at the First Lady wing of the villa was a very useful parley even though it was the first one.
He said, “The meeting was an initiative of the president for an interaction with the leadership of the National Assembly. It was a very useful session, being the first one. This kind of interaction helps in ensuring smooth relationship between the two arms of government.
“We discussed a number of issues, some of the plans. The general commitment is that, yes, the National Assembly has legislators from different parties but now we are representing Nigeria. We have a common goal to see that we work together for the interest of the country as a whole.”
Asked if the issue of his ongoing trial was discussed at the meeting, Saraki said the discussions focused mainly on how to move the nation forward through the fulfillment of promises made during the political campaigns.
“We are talking about what will make Nigeria work; we are talking about the promises we made during elections. Those are the big issues we are talking about and to ensure that there are no distractions.
“The focus is to ensure that the executive arm does things in the interest of the county. It is normal in democratic setting, from time to time, you see the parliament talking with the executive, and that is how to make things work.
“We are committed to work together and it is going to be for the good of Nigerians in general. It is a good development. We are all committed to what we are all elected to do, in order to make Nigeria work.”
On why the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu did not attend the meeting, he said, “Two people are not here because they are attending a conference. The Deputy Minority Whip in the House, too, is not here. It just happened that they are not in the country.”
Senate Lists Criteria For Screening Of Ministerial Nominees
Senate yesterday rolled out modalities that would charcterise the screening of 21 ministerial nominees forwarded to it by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The modalities, according to the chairman, Senate Adhoc Committee on Media and Publicity, Dino Melaye (APC, Kogi West), were arrived at by senators at a closed-door session they earlier had before the plenary session.
Reeling out the modalities to journalists after the plenary session, Melaye said the modalities revolve around two major areas which are relevant constitutional provisions and extant laws of the land, as well as Senate practice and convention.
He explained that the constitutional provisions to be used in considering the ministerial nominees are sections 14(3), 65, 147(1), 147(2) and 147(3) of the 1999 constitution, as amended, all bordering on constitutional requirements of a ministerial nominee and the principle of federal character as specifically enshrined in section 14(3) of the constitution.
He further stated that the second leg of the modalities, which dwells on the practice and convention of the Senate, will require each of the nominees to have minimum support of two out of the three senators from their states while the former members of the National Assembly among them would be given special consideration.
He said: “At the Senate closed-door session today, we considered a number of issues that had to do with the approach, the procedure for the screening of the ministerial nominees next week based on two broad modalities.
“The first criteria is using constitutional provisions as stipulated in the 1999 Constitution (as amended) as a fundamental procedure for the screening of ministerial nominees, and we will be considering Section 147(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and Section 147 is very clear. 147(1) says that: there shall be such offices of the ministers of the government of the federation as may be established by the president; (2) says: Any appointment to the office of the minister of the government of the federation shall be the nomination of any person to such office by made by the president and confirmed by the Senate; (3) Any appointment under (2) of this Section by the president shall be in conformity with the provisions of Section 14(3) of the Constitution, provided that in giving effects to the provisions, as aforesaid, the president shall appoint at least one minister from each state who shall be an indigene of such state.
“We are saying that in the screening of the ministerial nominees, this Section shall be strictly adhered to by the Nigerian Senate, meaning that there would be ministers from each state of the federation in compliance with the provisions of Section 147 in reference to Section 14(3).
“Again, also in Section 120 of the Standing Rules of the Senate will be another major instrument in the consideration and screening of ministerial nominees. Section 120 of the Standing Rules of the Senate reads as follows: That the Senate shall not consider the nomination of any person, who has held any public office as contained in Part 2 of the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution prior to his nomination unless there is a written evidence that he has declared his assets and liabilities as required by Section 11(1) of Part 1 of the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; such declaration shall be required for scrutiny by the senators.”
He explained further: “What this section is saying is that every ministerial nominee must produce actual proof of compliance as required by the Constitution and the Rules of the Senate; you must declare your assets, and you must have a certificate of proof that you have declared your assets, and that you are given a certificate of proof by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB). So, this is another condition that we are going to be exercising during the screening exercise.
“We also, in line with our convention, agreed that for you to be cleared as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a minimum of two senators from your state must, at least, show support for your nomination. It’s a convention by the Senate, and we have decided to uphold that convention in the sanctity of the integrity of the Senate.
“I addressed you earlier, and told you that the era of take a bow and go is over. We are still going to maintain that, except with slight modification as regards former senators and former members of the National Assembly, but we maintain that the screening exercise will be rigorous, will be expeditious, and it will be thorough.”
He further stated that the Senate, in ensuring that the principle of federal character is strictly adhered to by the president in his ministerial appointment, expects him to forward list of nominees from the remaining 15 states before the completion of screening of the 21 already sent .
He added that the veracity of petitions being received by the Senate against some of the ministerial nominees would definitely decide the fate of those affected.
“We have received a number of petitions, and those petitions are going to be looked into, and the veracity of those petitions will also guide our proceedings during the screening exercise,” he said.
Senate President Bukola Saraki had, after the Senate received a petition from Southern Kaduna Coalition against Amina Ibrahim Mohammed, a ministerial nominee from the state, directed the chairman, Senate Committee on Ethics and Public Petitions, Senator Sam Anyanwu (PDP, Imo East), to forward reports of the committee’s findings on all petitions against ministerial nominees to the Senate before Tuesday next week.
Leadership.
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