Teddy Oscar, Abuja
Following the approval of emergency rule extension by the House of Representatives and Senate, the House on Wednesday passed a resolution directing heads of security agencies in the country to provide the House with monthly security reports in the troubled north-eastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe where the National Assembly.
This is even as the House also condemned the twin bomb blast that rocked Jos, Plateau State capital on Tuesday, which claimed over 100 lives.
The monthly security briefing was sequel to the adoption of a motion titled: Need for a periodic briefing on the state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.
In her debate, Hon. Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed, who raised the motion on the floor of the House, noted that the inclusion of Nigeria amongst the MINT (Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey) as an emerging economy, after the rebasing of Nigeria’s gross domestic product (GDP) is indicative of the growing interest in Nigeria’s economic prospects.
She further argued that economic development can only be sustained in an environment where there is peace and guarantee of security of lives and properties.
She expressed worries saying that the nation’s security challenges are daunting where insurgents detonate bombs in many parts of the country, especially in Borno and Yobe states.
“Worried that despite the provision of over N900 billion in the 2013 Budget for security, there appears to have been minimal success recorded in tackling insurgency in the country,” she said.
She further explained to her colleagues that periodic briefing on the security measures being undertaken by security agencies since the declaration of state of emergency will go a long way in reassuring Nigerians of adequate guarantee of security.
Coming under a motion of urgent public importance raised by Hon Bitrus Kaze, the House has condemned in strong terms the twin bomb blast that claimed scores of lives in Jos on Tuesday.
Kaze urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide relief materials for victims of the bomb blast.
