The Deputy Minority Leader House of Representatives, RT. Hon. Toby Okechukwu has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to quickly address the security challenges facing the country, as it relates to the tenure of Service Chiefs, in line with the laws of the country.
The lawmaker declared that historicaly, Nigeria had never come to this level of perdition.
DAILY POST reports that he spoke against the backdrop of the outcry in the country over the rampaging activities of terrorists and bandits across the country.
This was contained in a statement issued by his media aide, Tochukwu Chukwu, who quoted the lawmaker to have made these assertions while contributing to a motion on the floor of the House of Representatives.
The lawmaker, representing Aninri, Awgu and Oji-River Federal Constituency said it was regrettable that the government had remained unable to stop the incesant killings, especially in the North-East.
He said, “we are doing our duty as parlimamentarians and as people elected to represent our various consituencies. It is very evident and from the body of this motion, that for over 7 years, Boko Haram has been on rampage. Is it because the barber does not know how to shave or is it because the raizor is not sharp? Or is it that our military are not fit for purpose or that they are not equiped?
“Something needs to change; it is either we have not diagnosed the problem or we are not doing the needful.
“Whether it is Amotekun, or forest guard, what remains is that government should be responsive to the needs of our people. We need to interrogate how we handle the issue of security in this country. The security and welfare of our citizens have no colour and have no party.
“What is correlation between budgetary allocation and equiping the military? We can’t be doing trader moni when there is no money to fund security.”
While expressing concern over the hit-and-run tactics of the terrorists, Okechukwu quiped: “If we closed our borders, how come that these people have still have the capacity to do this and run? How come that it is possible for an incohate set of young people to hold the Nigerian Republic of 200 million people to ransom? What is our value system that encourages this?
“Historically, we have never come to this level of perdition. I belive that we as a people should say that we have been elected to oversight.
“Some people have said we need to replace the army chiefs, get them sacked. The commander in chief should deal with the army chiefs with regards with the operation of law. The law says that they have a tenure.
“If they have a tenure and their tenure have expired, they should go, they are not to be sacked. Operate the law, it is as simple as that; we should not observe the law in breach. It has become aspicious that this House should interface with the commander in chief.”
