Senate Committee Meets NSA, Service Chiefs Today over Insecurity

Deji Elumoye in Abuja 

The 18-man Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Security will today interface with the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the service chiefs over the lingering security challenges facing the country.

The committee, headed by the Senate Leader, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, was inaugurated last Tuesday by the Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, who charged its members to review the nation’s security architecture and recommend ways to improve on the present security situation. 

THISDAY gathered that the committee upon inauguration immediately went into a closed-door session that lasted for about two hours, to fashion out its working agenda.

Sources told THISDAY at the weekend that formal letters of invitation were dispatched last week to the NSA as well as the three service chiefs to appear before the committee today.

The security chiefs expected at the meeting scheduled for the Senate new building by noon, include the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd);  Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Abayomi Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. General Tukur Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas and Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar, who were all appointed in July 2015.

THISDAY learnt that the NSA will be the first to be engaged by the committee followed by the service chiefs.

The security chiefs will be expected to update the committee on the current steps being taken to address the security problems facing the country.

The meeting between the security chiefs and the committee members, which will take the form of an interactive session, may continue tomorrow if all the issues are not exhausted today.

Sources also said the service chiefs would share with the committee some of the privileged security information they shared with members of the House of Representatives when they appeared before the Green Chamber last Wednesday.

The committee, which was constituted at Senate plenary penultimate week may request for more time to submit its report. 

The Senate while constituting the committee, had given it Wednesday deadline to submit its report.

A member of the committee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told THISDAY yesterday that the committee might not conclude its work before the deadline.

“So, the committee through the chairman may ask for more time not exceeding a week for us to do a thorough job and put our report together,” he stated.

Members of the committee include  Senate Minority Leader, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe; Senate Deputy Chief Whip, Senator Sabi Abdullahi; Senator Mohammed Ndume; Senator Aliyu Wamakko; Senator Dauda Jike; Senator Kashim Shettima; Senator Ibn Na’Allah; Senator George Sekibo and Senator Ibrahim Gobir.

Others are Senator Suleiman Kwari; Senator Kabiru Gaya; Senator Gershom Bassey; Senator Stella Oduah; Senator Ibikunle Amosun; Senator Abba Moro; Senator Abubakar Yusuf and Senator Abdullahi Adamu.

The terms of reference of the Ad-hoc Security Committee include engaging the National Security Adviser on the implementation modalities of the December, 2019 national security strategies, engaging the national security institutions to discuss their operational structures, funding, equipment and staff disposition.