Posted by On Friday, the House of Representatives gave its word that it will provide a suitable legislative framework for the battle against insurgency, banditry, and other forms of instability in the country.
During the time that the Chief of Defense Staff, General Chris Musa, and the Commandant of the Nigerian Defense Academy, Major General John Ochayi, appeared to defend the 2024 budget proposals of the military, (Defence), members of the House of Representatives Committee on Defense made this statement.
The Representatives praised the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) for taking the initiative in the battle against banditry and insurgency across the nation, as well as the National Defense Academy Commandant (NDA Commandant) for his professional and transparent approach to managing the responsibilities of the academy since he took office in June of this year.
Honorable Philip Agbese, who serves as the deputy spokesperson for the House of Representatives, made the observation that the Armed Forces of Nigeria had made significant headway in bringing the menace of insecurity in Nigeria under control.
We are obligated to recognize the commendable accomplishments that have been made in the battle against terrorism, insurgency, and banditry in Nigeria.
It has been abundantly clear that you are a round peg in a round hole ever since you resumed your position as head of the Armed Forces under the command of President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
You and your guys have taken a direct approach to the problem of insecurity, and we, as lawmakers, are proud of you. The people of Nigeria are proud of you, and I am certain that the President would be pleased that he did not make any mistakes when he appointed you and other individuals.
Because of the progress that has been done at the school up to this point, we are equally proud of the NDA Commandant. When asked about him, Agbese described him as a strong, professional, and visionary commander.
The Armed Forces, on the other hand, were strongly encouraged to continue to enhance their operations and intelligence collection capabilities.
On the other hand, the chairman of the House Committee on Defense, the Honorable Babajimi Benson, gave his word that the parliamentary Committee would do everything in its power to guarantee that the war against insecurity would be won through legislative interventions.
What he said was, “We are aware that you are currently dealing with a very difficult circumstance.”
We are aware that you require finances for the purchase of aircraft, weaponry, and barracks; yet, we are aware that funds are restricted.
It was admitted by Benson that the defense sector was receiving insufficient financing, and he made a commitment to communicate with the leadership of the House in order to determine what more steps could be taken to enhance the budget of the military.
During his remarks, the Chief of Defense Staff expressed gratitude to the parliamentarians for recognizing the efforts of the military and pledged to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the bombing event that occurred in Kaduna.
The statement that “it was a mistake, not deliberate, but we are taking steps to ensure that we address it and prevent it from reoccurring” was reiterated by him.
Musa continued by saying that “security is everybody’s responsibility, not just ours,” in reference to the support provided by the parliament.
We are delighted that you are aware of the difficulties we face and that you are prepared and willing to offer assistance. We want to reassure you that we will not accept this as a given.
“We assure you, including all Nigerians, that we are ready to move forward, whatever it takes for us to ensure that there is peace in Nigeria, because it is not only for us; it is for our children and our children’s children,” the statement reads. “We are ready to go forward with whatever support we can get to enhance our capability and capacity.”