National Assembly concerned about security challenges ― Senate President

President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has said both chambers of the National Assembly were concerned about the pervasive trend of insecurity in the country.

Lawan said the lawmakers were determined to curtail the scourge and have devised a strategy that will see to the creation of institutions dedicated to providing enduring solutions to Nigeria’s security travails.

The President of the Senate restated his assurance on Wednesday while giving his concluding remarks on three critical bills presently before the National Assembly: A Bill to establish the Nigeria Civil Defence Academy; a bill to give legal backing to the Nigeria Police Academy; and another bill to establish a Commission against the proliferation of small arms and weapons, sponsored by Senators Musa Sani, Haliru Dika and Smart Adeyemi, respectively.

Senator Lawan said the lawmakers were anxious to see an improvement in the security situation in the country.
He said: “For the last two weeks or so, or even more, the Senate has been discussing and debating on security-related motions for days.

“This is our commitment to our country. We want to see the security situation improve, and that is why we are doing this.

“We are dealing with this by trying to institutionalise certain situations that will provide enduring arrangements and solutions to the situation we face today.

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“So, we will push this to ensure that we pass all these bills, and I’m sure Mr President will assent to these bills because of all the three or four bills taken today and are security-related, none of them is frivolous or simply a bill trying to play to the gallery.

“They are bills that are so important to the security architecture of this country, and in fact, when you talk about training, it is key and central to getting the kind of competent and qualified security personnel.”

Earlier, sponsor of the bill to establish the Nigeria Police Academy, Senator Haliru Jika, said the bill seeks to give legal backing to the academy which took off in 1988, simultaneously at two temporary campuses, namely: the Police Training School, Challawa, Kano, where cadet Inspectors were trained; and the Police College, Kaduna, where cadet ASPs were trained.

According to him, the two campuses were merged and the Academy relocated to its permanent site in Wudil, Kano, after its formal commissioning on April 2, 1996, by then Head of State, General Sani Abacha, with the expectation that the academy will be affiliated to a University for degree awarding courses.

He, however, added that the Federal Government upgraded the Academy to a degree-awarding institution and the National Universities Commission, accordingly, recognised the Academy as the thirty-seventh Federal University and One hundred and twenty-fourth University in Nigeria.

He lamented that in spite of that, the training institution has not been backed by any law, a development which he noted has exposed graduands to embarrassment.

“It is the recognition of the inappropriateness of the absence of a legal framework for the Nigeria Police Academy and the urgent need to reposition and enhance police effectiveness through proper training as means of fighting the seemingly intractable challenge of insecurity in our country that has necessitated the proposed enactment of a new law to strengthen the Nigeria Police Academy, in consonance with the dictates of international best practices.

“Nigeria needs an institution capable of producing qualitative, skilled and intelligent officers able to meet the manpower needs of its Police Force.

“The present security challenges in many parts of our country and the complexities of modern policing make it imperative that Nigeria continues to have a stream of middle-level officers equipped with competences, backed by sound academic background, high professional and moral standards into its Police Force, for effective law enforcement and selfless service to the nation,” Jika said.

The bill which scaled second reading was referred by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, to the Committee on Police Affairs for further legislative work.

Similarly, another bill seeking to establish the Nigerian Civil Defence Academy, Pandogari, scaled Second Reading on the floor during plenary on Wednesday.

Sponsor of the bill and Senator representing Niger East, Sani Musa said his initiative was informed by the “to develop the capacities of supportive security organs such as the Nigerian Civil Defence Corps, who are expected to, in conjunction with the Nigerian Police, provide internal security, and to attain the highest standards of professionalism.”

The bill after consideration was referred by the Senate President to the Committee on Interior for further legislative work.

The committee which has the immediate past governor of Borno State and governor representing Borno Central, Kashim Shettima is expected to submit its report in four weeks.