Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, has assured that the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration was deliberating on comprehensive ways to address the security situation in the country including plans for new recruitment to beef up the personnel of security agencies in order to contain the threats and security concerns in the land.
According to a statement by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, Osinbajo made this disclosure Monday when he had audience with clergymen from the north under the auspices of the Arewa Pastors Forum for Peace, who were on a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Vice President assured the pastors “we are doing everything that needs to be done.
“We are handling security well, and as you know, including military deployment in diverse fields, like the Boko Haram in the Northeast.
“In fact, we have to now recruit more into the army, and much faster than we ever did because we need men on the ground; resources also – to buy more arms, to buy more platforms,” he said.
Osinbajo describing how serious the Buhari administration considers the task, added that “at the last meeting of the National Security Council that was held on Thursday, we had discussions on how to beef up the military’s platforms. How do we beef up the numbers? How do we recruit more men and women into the army? How do we collaborate more with local vigilante, the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) and all that,”
“So, there is a lot going on in terms of trying to beef up security. The security situation is one that is very challenging. We are also looking at aspects of surveillance – how we can do more aerial surveillance using drones and electronic devices to improve surveillance,” he said.
The Vice President assured the clergymen that the Federal Government is also committed to finding lasting solutions to the perennial crisis in communities in the North and other parts of the country, including the ones bothering on religious prejudices.
He urged the group as ‘Men of God,” to also come up with ideas and their thoughts on how to find lasting peace.
Earlier in his remark, President of the Forum, Bishop Mbayo Japhet said the group’s visit to the Presidential Villa was to support the administration and the Vice President, describing him as an apostle of peace.