Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, Speaker of the House of Representatives, has harped on the need for the legislature to ensure effective oversight of the security sector, saying it is the cornerstone of the democratic process.
Abbas spoke at a workshop with the theme: ‘Enhancing Effective Legislative Oversight of the National Security and Intelligence Sector in Nigeria’ organised by the House Committee on National Security and Intelligence in Abuja.
According to him, the security agencies should collaborate with the legislature in terms of lawmaking and oversight in tackling the various security challenges facing the nation.
He said there are numerous security challenges facing the Nigerian state presently including banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and cyber security among others adding that these challenges are surmountable with effective oversight of the security sector.
Represented by the Deputy Majority Leader, Hon. Abdullahi Halims, the speaker said: “These security challenges are not insurmountable. We have already begun interaction with the security agencies to find solutions to these challenges.
“Through legislation and oversight, this workshop will enhance the lawmaker’s capability to engage in effective oversight of the security sector”.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the Chairman of the House Committee on National Security and Intelligence Hon. Satomi Ahmed said that the workshop aims at enhancing the competence and capacity of the committee members.
He said that members of the committee were chosen from all 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to ensure that the oversight of the nation’s security sector is enhanced.
He said “In the coming days, the committee pursuant to its mandate of sighting all matters relating to any organisation or agency established by law for ensuring the security of the Federation will be inviting all security, intelligence, law enforcement, para-military agencies, etc to a security roundtable to discuss the general state of affairs of the security and intelligence sector in Nigeria with a view of recommending practical solutions among other objectives. This interface will hold at least once in a quarter”.
He disclosed that “Today’s workshop aims to enhance the competency or capacity of members of this committee to carry out effective and efficient oversight as required.
“Some of the critical areas to be discussed during this summit include; combating organised crimes, small arms and light weapons proliferation, cyber security, terrorism financing and its implications to national security. The resource persons chosen to handle each of the selected topics are probably the best in those areas in the country today.
“I am very optimistic that at the end of the workshop, the committee would have been more technically enabled to commence strategic oversight on some of the critical emerging challenges, which have begun to pose serious threats to the security of Nigeria.
“Such threats include cyber threats, terrorism financing etc. This is apart from the seemingly intractable challenges of organized banditry, kidnappings, separatist agitations, terrorist attacks etc.
“These challenges are not insurmountable, and I wish to assure Nigerians that the House of Representatives through this committee has put mechanisms in place to confront these criminalities frontally and decimate them for the peace and stability of this great country.
“We have already begun engagements with all security, Intelligence and Law enforcement agencies on these challenges. Some of the feedback we received from the agencies is currently being analysed and will form the basis of the security roundtable which we plan to hold soon”, he stated.
