Following an eight-hour closed-door meeting held with the country’s service chiefs and security heads, the Nigerian Senate has passed a vote of confidence on the leadership of the security apparatus.
The meeting, which commenced in the afternoon and concluded around 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, saw the attendance of top security officials, including Christopher Musa, Chief of Defence Staff, Taoreed Lagbaja, Chief of Army Staff, Emmanuel Ogalla, Chief of Naval Staff, and Hassan Abubakar, Chief of Air Staff. Also present were Nuhu Ribadu, National Security Adviser (NSA); Kayode Egbetokun, Inspector-General of Police (IGP); and Yusuf Bichi, Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS).
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, reading a communique at the end of the meeting, emphasized the need for the federal government to implement a unified system of identification to enhance security measures.
“We commend the security chiefs, and particularly point out that the interior minister should use a unified system of identification. That will be a better thing for Nigerians,” Akpabio stated.
Expressing the Senate’s support for the security chiefs, Akpabio affirmed, “For the security chiefs, we assure them of not just the support of the senate but the national assembly. We passed a vote of confidence on the service chiefs.”
Meanwhile, Senate spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu highlighted the security chiefs’ effective response to the country’s security challenges.
“Look at what they are doing in Ekiti and Plateau also. The problem is that the attacks happened sporadically. That’s why we asked them where we can come in,” Adaramodu stated.
He added, “The minister of finance has assured us of adequate funding.”