Insecurity: Our Challenges, By Service Chiefs, Others

Security top brass on Thursday told senators the challenges
confronting them as they battle to halt the worsening
insecurity.

They briefed the Senate during an Executive Session on how they
are grappling with lack of adequate equipment and low capacity,
sources said.

The closed session which lasted for about four hours, enabled
the military and security chiefs to exchange ideas with
senators.

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Lucky Irabor, Chief of Army
Staff, Lt Gen Ibrahim Attahiru, Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal
Oladayo Amao, Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo and
Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Alkali Baba Usman attended
the session.

Others are the Directors-General of the National Intelligence
Agency (NIA), Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, Defence Intelligence Agency
(DIA) Maj-Gen S.A. Adebayo, and Directorate of State Services
(DSS), Yusuf Magaji Bichi.

It was learnt that the CDS briefed the Senate on behalf of the
Service chiefs, while the IGP and heads of intelligence agencies
elaborated on the internal security crises.

Sources said the capacity problem of the Air Force, which lacked
fighting assets until the Buhari government started buying
equipment was listed.

The senators were also told that the Air Force lacked trained
pilots until the recent acquisition of fighter jets. Training of
pilots also recently resumed.

The Air Force is expecting the delivery of Tucano fighter jets
ordered by the government in July to boost its operational
capacity.

The senators also learnt of the capacity problem the army
suffered after former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on assumption of
office in 1999, retired all officers who had served in political
positions.

It took the army a long time to get out of the effect of this
action, because some of the brightest officers who were retired
could not transfer their knowledge before exiting service.

The financing of the multi-faceted battles the military is
fighting and the lack of funding for the police were also
discussed, it was learnt.

Senate spokesman Ajibola Basiru spoke on what transpired when he
briefed reporters after the meeting.

Basiru said: “Today (yesterday) the Senate played host to the
key leadership of the Nigerian security apparatus.

“The Chief of Defence Staff who led the Service Chiefs, that is,
the Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff and the Chief of Air
Staff and the Director of Defence Intelligence, the DG of National
Intelligence Agency, the Director General of SSS and, of course,
the Inspector-General of Police.

“At an executive session, they briefed the Senate
comprehensively on the state of security in the country, analysis
of the various operations and theatre of activities that they are
engaged in, the topography across the six geopolitical zones, the
complexities and the challenges that are being faced and ways by
which they believe the parliament can work together with the
Executive and the heads of security agencies to ensure we rein in
the atmosphere of insecurity and ensure a long-lasting peace and
security for our country.

“The Senate leadership expressed our gratitude for their
forthrightness, for their being very open to us and we are
committed to ensuring that all necessary legislative and
appropriation support is given to all the relevant agencies as may
be subsequently requested. I think that is what transpired in
summary at the closed session.”

Basiru added: “We did not talk about money. We did not talk
about figure. We had a high-level discussion on general challenges
and requirements for us to have an efficient and effective
security.

“The details of whatever will go into supplementary
appropriation can only be worked upon by the ministry of finance,
which is an Executive arm together with our relevant Committee and
such are not matters that we will go into details.

“Of course, everybody know that security is a serious matter for
which you cannot take with levity when it comes to ensuring
appropriate appropriation for that. We are ready to receive
supplementary budget.

“We don’t have any doubt that there is synergy among the various
security agencies. In fact, from the nature of the briefing that we
received, it reassured us as elected representatives of the people
that there is indeed a synergy.

“In any event, even the success that has been made which we were
apprised of is like security is something you only feel the impact
when there are breaches.

“Nobody will give you credit for security situations you have
been able to address and attended to. For instance, we have a
tremendous status quo report that a lot had gone into stemming the
tide of insecurity in Nigeria.

“Perhaps, if not for that synergy and the efforts that have gone
in terms of operationalising and putting the Nigerian security
organisation, particularly the Air Force in proper shape, perhaps
we would have being in a more terrible situation.

“So, the story is about how far we have gone but then there is
room for improvement and we are committed to that improvement.

On whether the Senate is satisfied with the plan of the security
agencies to ensure security in the country going forward, Basiru
said: “After listening to the briefings, I personally became upbeat
that a lot of work had gone into addressing the problem of
insecurity and from the various perspectives that were brought into
the discussion which is very frank, clear and without any form of
duplicity, it became very clear that Nigerian security agencies are
not only looking at the internal dimension of the challenge we
have, we look at all ramifications both in terms of the political
context, economic context and international context to the
development. There were even perspectives as to what happened
recently in Chad.

“So it was a very thorough discussion and I also believe that
the forthrightness of the leadership of the security agencies
showed the seriousness that they attached to that duties.

“So, I believe that going forward, the confidence has been built
between the security chiefs on one hand and the Nigerian parliament
on the other hand and that would be a good signal of what we expect
in the future.”

Security top brass on Thursday told senators the challenges
confronting them as they battle to halt the worsening
insecurity.

They briefed the Senate during an Executive Session on how they
are grappling with lack of adequate equipment and low capacity,
sources said.

The closed session which lasted for about four hours, enabled
the military and security chiefs to exchange ideas with
senators.

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Lucky Irabor, Chief of Army
Staff, Lt Gen Ibrahim Attahiru, Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal
Oladayo Amao, Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo and
Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Alkali Baba Usman attended
the session.

Others are the Directors-General of the National Intelligence
Agency (NIA), Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, Defence Intelligence Agency
(DIA) Maj-Gen S.A. Adebayo, and Directorate of State Services
(DSS), Yusuf Magaji Bichi.

It was learnt that the CDS briefed the Senate on behalf of the
Service chiefs, while the IGP and heads of intelligence agencies
elaborated on the internal security crises.

Sources said the capacity problem of the Air Force, which lacked
fighting assets until the Buhari government started buying
equipment was listed.

The senators were also told that the Air Force lacked trained
pilots until the recent acquisition of fighter jets. Training of
pilots also recently resumed.

The Air Force is expecting the delivery of Tucano fighter jets
ordered by the government in July to boost its operational
capacity.

The senators also learnt of the capacity problem the army
suffered after former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on assumption of
office in 1999, retired all officers who had served in political
positions.

It took the army a long time to get out of the effect of this
action, because some of the brightest officers who were retired
could not transfer their knowledge before exiting service.

The financing of the multi-faceted battles the military is
fighting and the lack of funding for the police were also
discussed, it was learnt.

Senate spokesman Ajibola Basiru spoke on what transpired when he
briefed reporters after the meeting.

Basiru said: “Today (yesterday) the Senate played host to the
key leadership of the Nigerian security apparatus.

“The Chief of Defence Staff who led the Service Chiefs, that is,
the Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff and the Chief of Air
Staff and the Director of Defence Intelligence, the DG of National
Intelligence Agency, the Director General of SSS and, of course,
the Inspector-General of Police.

“At an executive session, they briefed the Senate
comprehensively on the state of security in the country, analysis
of the various operations and theatre of activities that they are
engaged in, the topography across the six geopolitical zones, the
complexities and the challenges that are being faced and ways by
which they believe the parliament can work together with the
Executive and the heads of security agencies to ensure we rein in
the atmosphere of insecurity and ensure a long-lasting peace and
security for our country.

“The Senate leadership expressed our gratitude for their
forthrightness, for their being very open to us and we are
committed to ensuring that all necessary legislative and
appropriation support is given to all the relevant agencies as may
be subsequently requested. I think that is what transpired in
summary at the closed session.”

Basiru added: “We did not talk about money. We did not talk
about figure. We had a high-level discussion on general challenges
and requirements for us to have an efficient and effective
security.

“The details of whatever will go into supplementary
appropriation can only be worked upon by the ministry of finance,
which is an Executive arm together with our relevant Committee and
such are not matters that we will go into details.

“Of course, everybody know that security is a serious matter for
which you cannot take with levity when it comes to ensuring
appropriate appropriation for that. We are ready to receive
supplementary budget.

“We don’t have any doubt that there is synergy among the various
security agencies. In fact, from the nature of the briefing that we
received, it reassured us as elected representatives of the people
that there is indeed a synergy.

“In any event, even the success that has been made which we were
apprised of is like security is something you only feel the impact
when there are breaches.

“Nobody will give you credit for security situations you have
been able to address and attended to. For instance, we have a
tremendous status quo report that a lot had gone into stemming the
tide of insecurity in Nigeria.

“Perhaps, if not for that synergy and the efforts that have gone
in terms of operationalising and putting the Nigerian security
organisation, particularly the Air Force in proper shape, perhaps
we would have being in a more terrible situation.

“So, the story is about how far we have gone but then there is
room for improvement and we are committed to that improvement.

On whether the Senate is satisfied with the plan of the security
agencies to ensure security in the country going forward, Basiru
said: “After listening to the briefings, I personally became upbeat
that a lot of work had gone into addressing the problem of
insecurity and from the various perspectives that were brought into
the discussion which is very frank, clear and without any form of
duplicity, it became very clear that Nigerian security agencies are
not only looking at the internal dimension of the challenge we
have, we look at all ramifications both in terms of the political
context, economic context and international context to the
development. There were even perspectives as to what happened
recently in Chad.

“So it was a very thorough discussion and I also believe that
the forthrightness of the leadership of the security agencies
showed the seriousness that they attached to that duties.

“So, I believe that going forward, the confidence has been built
between the security chiefs on one hand and the Nigerian parliament
on the other hand and that would be a good signal of what we expect
in the future.”