• Security remains our priority – Buhari
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Fred Itua and Kemi Yesufu, Abuja
THE United Kingdom has offered to further assist Nigeria in its fight to end activities of terrorist sect, Boko Haram, by December.
British Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Nicholas Houghton, who disclosed this to State House correspondents shortly after a closed-door meeting with the president at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said his government sent him because the United Kingdom shares an interesting security situation with Nigeria.
This is even as President Muhammadu Buhari reaf- firmed that security remains the topmost priority of his administration. According to him, other socio-economic initiatives cannot be successfully implemented without adequate security in the country.
Houghton said he was in the country to explore how the UK could give necessary support to the government and President Buhari to ensure that the country optimises whatever support it could give.
“My concern is in the security situation, in particular the war being waged by Boko Haram. I think Nigerian armed forces have made some remarkable progress in the last few months in pushing Boko Haram back.
The British Chief of Defence Staff said it has now been recognised more than ever before that many of the security threats are not just localised, but are regionalised and global ones.
“I think most of the conversations on security in the recent UN General Assembly was about the threat posed by extremism and terrorism. We share within the UK and Europe concerns about the destabilising effect of ISIL in Iraq, Syria in North Africa and also the threat the Boko Haram poses here.
“Therefore, in many respects, the security in places such as Nigeria, the security concerns are shared by many in the global community, which is why we do need to intensify the nature and type of support we offer.”
The President in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, reaffirmed his administration’s determination to end the Boko Haram insurgency as quickly as possible.
He said Nigeria appreciated Britain’s support for the re- training of its Armed Forces and asked for more assistance in other areas such as logistics, equipment and intelligence.
He also called for more international support for regional efforts to improve security in the Gulf of Guinea through which crude oil stolen from Nigeria is shipped.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has revisited the controversial installation of Close-Circuit Television (CCTV) contract scam awarded by the administration of former president Goodluck Jonathan. The contract was said to have been awarded at the cost of $470 million.
Although the seventh National Assembly investigated the controversial contract in 2010/2011, the report of the probe was not implemented by the immediate-past administration.
The fresh motion co-sponsored by Adekoya Adeseun Abdul-Majid and Abiodun James Faleke wants the leader- ship of the House to set up an adhoc committee to investigate the circumstances of the award of the contract, both in Abuja and Lagos State.
The sponsors also seek to determine the extent to which the Chinese nationals of ZTE Corporation paid taxes to the coffers of the Federal Government. They want the issues investigated by the adhoc committee and then refer back to the House within four weeks for further legislative action.
Supporting the motion, Minority Leader, Leo Ogor, decried the nonchalant attitude of the Chinese firm handling the failed contract. He urged his colleagues to rise up and stamp out what he described as economic imperialism and exploitation by the Chinese government.
Majority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila subscribed to the submission of Ogor and queried the reasons behind the failure of the contract. He also probed further to unravel who signed the contract on behalf of the Federal Government.
“Let us have the report of this motion on the floor in four weeks. If this thing was working, what happened in Abuja would have been avoided. Even if it happened, we would have been able to apprehend those behind it. Such a delicate contract should not have been given to a Chinese company. We do not know what their interests are. This contract ought to have been handled by our security agencies,” Gbajabiamila said.
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