- Says FG Complacent On Security
- National Assembly, IGP, Defence Minister On Collision Course
The recent attack by bandits on the Abuja Kaduna train has continued to generate reactions from Nigerians.
Ali Ndume, senator representing Borno south district, on Wednesday, bombed the federal government for being “complacent” on the issues of insecurity in the country.
Ndume spoke on Wednesday in an interview with Channels Television.
According to the Kaduna government, 362 passengers boarded the train, 26 persons were injured during the attack, eight bodies were recovered and several persons were unaccounted for.
Speaking on the development, Rotimi Amaechi, minister of transportation, said the attack could have been avoided if digital security equipment had been procured.
Amaechi said his colleagues declined approval for the procurement of the digital security equipment meant for the railway.
Reacting to Amaechi’s comment in view of the train attack, Ndume faulted the decision to decline approval for the purchase of the said equipment.
“If you look at it deeply, there is a lot of complacency in it. You have the MTN services. These people are using phones so you can track them. With today’s technology, people are taken away and you say you don’t know where they are. No, I mean let’s be serious,” he said.
“Coming back to what the minister (Amaechi) said, I got angry too. I mean how can you put all these people — every day, an average of 1,000 are moving around — and then the ministry will ask for money to buy gadgets and drones. These are mostly off-the-shelf items.
“You can order them or import them, install them immediately in two to three days. But you know what will happen in Nigeria next? They will go on TV and say we have purchased so and so and the bandits will watch it and they know where it is going to be installed.
“This system is terrible. People will frustrate with this kind of process and you can see the minister was angry. That means there was a lot of frustration in the process of procurement. He said it.”
Informed by the presenter that the money for digital security equipment was not even approved, the senator said, “and they are approving money for trivialities. Nonsense!”
Ndume bemoaned the involvement of consultants in the execution of projects approved by the federal government.
“This one (referring to N3 billion digital security equipment) they will say let’s employ a consultant first. Out of N3 billion, consultants will be paid five percent. Oh! What people do in this government,” he added.
“I have said this several times that there is a bunch and a lot of kleptocracy in this system and the government needs to do something about it.”
Meanwhile, the National Assembly and heads of security agencies in the country are heading for confrontation.
Members of the house of representatives have expressed dissatisfaction with the attitude of heads of agencies invited to the lower legislative chamber over the recent attack on a train in Kaduna.
Idris Wase, the deputy speaker of the house, spoke at a meeting on Wednesday over the failure of some government officials to honor the invitation of the lawmakers.
The lower legislative chamber had invited Babagana Monguno, national security adviser (NSA); Bashir Magashi, minister of defense; Isiaka Amao, chief of air staff; Yusuf Bichi, director-general, Department of State Services (DSS); Usman Baba, inspector-general of police (IGP); Hadi Sirika, minister of aviation, and Rotimi Amaechi, minister of transportation.
Also invited were the director-general, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority; managing director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN); managing director, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), and general manager, Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).
However, at the meeting on Wednesday, the public officials were absent and sent in their representatives instead.
Wase expressed displeasure over the non-appearance of the invited public officials and declined to allow their representatives to make presentations.
“We do not have any doubt regarding your capacity and your role. As operational officers, you have the intel in terms of what has to be done, but I’m constrained as the deputy speaker to continue the meeting because the accounting officers are the ones that are supposed to be here while you give them the necessary support,” he said.
“I am saying with a heavy heart. No matter the assignment our generals are handling, I believe the parliament requires a listening ear. This is the house of the people. I am not happy expressing my disappointment.
“In all the agencies, none of all the chief executives that were invited came. Maybe we are considered to be jokers, but we are not jokers.”
Abel Enitan, permanent secretary of the ministry of aviation, said Sirika is currently abroad on an official assignment with the knowledge of the president.
Responding, Wase said: “Don’t use the name of Mr. President. This institution is not under the presidency; it is an institution of its own.”
O.T. Akinjobi, a representative of the minister of defense, said his boss was in a meeting summoned by the president over the attack.
“The expeditious nature of the assignment demanded that they hold the meeting immediately and they have been in session since last night up to this time,” he added.
But unsatisfied, Wase described the reason as an excuse.
“All these are excuses as far as I am concerned. The situation is like blackmail to the government. We are losing the only pride that we can showcase — that critical infrastructure that is about to be destroyed is one of the legacies of this administration,” he said.
“As a parliament, we have cooperated to ensure the safety of our people. So, these are excuses that are not taken by the parliament.”
A representative of FAAN said the director-general is expected back in the country on Thursday from the US.
On his part, Sanusi Lemu, deputy inspector-general of police in charge of finance and administration who represented the IGP, said his boss respects the parliament which is why he sent a representative.
”It is in Nigerian parliament that you summon accounting officers that they won’t come. It doesn’t happen in other democratic climes. It is not a favor done to us. If they are here, they are here to give an account of what they are responsible for. And here is the only place they can render a proper account,” Wase responded.
“The crafters of the constitution know the reason why they put us to do the scrutiny oversight. The president doesn’t have that time. We are the ones to ask questions and our questions must be answered. It is an aberration.
“Let’s begin to do the right thing. This country belongs to us. If there is synergy in operation, this thing would not happen.”
Recently, the spate of violent attacks has increased in parts of the country.
Recall that gunmen, on Monday night, ambushed a Kaduna-bound train at the Kateri-Rijana area in Kaduna.
