The Senate yesterday constituted a 20-member committee to plan a national security summit towards addressing persistent security challenges across the country.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the committee during the plenary yesterday after majority of the senators supported it through voice vote.
Akpabio said the committee would be chaired by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central) while Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North) would serve as vice chairman.
Other members of the committee are: Ireti Kingibe (FCT), Adebule Idiat (Lagos), Barinada Mpigi (Rivers), Babangida Hussaini (Jigawa), Jimoh Ibrahim (Ondo), Osita Ngwu (Enugu), Mohammed Tahir Monguno (Borno), Titus Zam (Benue), Ahmed Lawan (Yobe), Abdulaziz Yar’Adua (Katsina) and Gbenga Daniel (Ogun).
Others are: Austin Akobundu (Abia), Shehu Buba (Bauchi), Ahmed Madori (Jigawa), Emmanuel Udende (Benue), Adams Oshiomhole (Edo), Shuaib Salisu (Ogun), Isah Jibrin (Kogi), and the Clerk of the Senate, Andrew Nwoba.
Akpabio said the committee’s primary assignment is to design the framework for the proposed national summit, including setting the agenda, identifying key discussion points, and proposing actionable strategies to effectively tackle Nigeria’s security lapses.
The Senate President directed the committee to submit its report within two weeks.
On May 6 during plenary, the Senate resolved to organise a two-day national security summit with a view to proffering solutions to terrorism, insurgency and other security challenges in the country.
The Red Chamber took the decision after adopting a motion sponsored by Senator Jimoh Ibrahim (APC, Ondo South).
One of the critical issues the upcoming summit intends to address is the leakage of sensitive military information to insurgents and bandits, an issue widely believed to be undermining security operations across the country.
This is not the first time a national security summit would be organised by the National Assembly.
The Ninth National Assembly, under former Senate President Ahmad Lawan and former Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, held a security summit in May 2021 to address Nigeria’s security challenges.
Despite the participation of security experts, civil society organisations, and government representatives in the summit and the recommendations it submitted to the then government, security challenges have persisted.
The current 10th Senate has also summoned service chiefs and heads of security agencies several times to address the challenges since its inauguration in 2023.
There have also been several motions and debates on security in the two chambers of the National Assembly, yet killings kidnappings and banditry have persisted, with many citizens expressing frustration over the lack of visible progress.
Also, the Senate Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity has held an interactive session with regular industry players in the communications sector on how to curb insecurity in the country.
The interactive session was a prelude to the National Security Summit the Red Chamber is organising to aggregate ideas on how to leverage communications infrastructure and systems to reduce crime.
The session brought together lawmakers, representatives of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), among others.
Before formally declaring the session open, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele emphasised the need to fix and protect the nation’s digital assets to tighten security.
“If we do not fix our digital architecture,” Bamidele said, “we will be building a national future on quicksand.”
The chairman of the committee, Senator Afolabi Shuaib, who convened the high-level interactive session, said there was an urgent need for the government, regulators and industry players to act towards making the proposed summit a success.
