Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has said security challenges pose serious threat to the foundations of Nigeria’s nationhood.
He made the observation in a paper he delivered at the School of Oriental Studies, London, on Wednesday, entitled; ‘Democracy in Challenging Times: The Role of African Parliaments in Safeguarding and Delivering on the Dividends of Democracy’ as part of his ongoing official visit to the United Kingdom.
A statement by the Speaker’s media aide, Lanre Lasisi, quoted him as saying “the most pressing of these challenges today is the national security crisis that threatens the foundations of our nationhood and portends great danger for Africa and the world if it persists
“First, to address present challenges and then to build resilient institutions that can withstand uncertainty in troubled times, more than anything else, our focus must remain on the young and vibrant youth of Nigeria and Africa who have so much to offer the world and who have proven that they can thrive under challenging circumstances given half a chance. However, we cannot do this for as long as our present national security challenges persist.”
He, however, said the Nigerian Government had responded to the challenges by increasing funding for the police and the military and recruiting personnel for security agencies, among others.
“The government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has responded to the reality of our present challenges by increasing funding provisions for the police and armed forces, accelerating recruitment and training to put more boots on the ground and also acquiring weapons systems designed to give the security agencies an advantage,” he said.
The speaker said upon resumption, the House would do what was required to overcome the difficulties and deliver the dividends of democracy to the people.
He described dividend of democracy as a just society where individual rights are recognised and respected.
He explained further that what was required was a society where citizens had the freedom to dream big dreams and the social resources and infrastructure to achieve those dreams.
He noted that such environment would provide opportunities for positive change, for righting wrongs and establishing new protocols better suited to the reality of the time than whatever existed before.
He said that the 9th House began by developing a legislative agenda to articulate in detail governing priorities and the specific actions intended to meet those priorities.
Gbajabiamila also said he convened the first Conference of Speakers of African Parliaments (CoSAP), as a platform for continental parliamentary cooperation and coordination aimed at changing the dynamic.
He said that the conference was already, participating in a broad partnership to renegotiate the terms of national debts and free up much-needed resources for development.
Gbajabiamila said the Nigerian House of Representatives would this year host the inaugural in-person meeting of CoSAP to establish a framework of action.