SIR: The failure of President Muhammadu Buhari to appear before the House of Representatives last Thursday to address the Green chamber on the strategies being put in place by government to arrest the worsening insecurity in the country is disappointing, to say the least. Nigerians will recall that after the unfortunate gruesome slaughter of more than 43 rice farmers in Zabarmani, Jere Local Government of Borno State, by the members of Boko Haram, the leadership of the chamber met Mr. President at the State House. In the course of their discussion, the speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, handed an invitation to President Buhari who promised to honour it. On Wednesday, a day to the scheduled meeting, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, pronounced that the National Assembly has no constitutional power to summon president on the spate of insecurity in the country.
Malami said, “the management and control of the security sector is exclusively vested in the president by section 218(1) of the constitution as the commander-in- chief of arm forces. An invitation that seeks to put the operational use of the armed force to a public interrogation is indeed taking the constitutional rights of law making beyond its bounds.
The AGF obviously forgot section 88 and 89 which gives power to the National Assembly to summon any public officer. The section did not exclude Mr. President. The minister merely used section 281(1) to provide legal shield for President Buhari to escape scrutiny. Besides, there was an insinuation that some APC governors actually prevailed on the president not to attend the meeting for fear of creating a precedent; particularly the ripple effects at the state level where state assemblies can summon governors at will.
Whatever the reasons adduced for not honouring the meeting, President Buhari has robbed Nigerians of the golden opportunity to hear from him. Nigerians for instance want to know why he has maintained his underperforming service chiefs in office in spite of their glaring failures and rising cases of insecurity in the north.
MORE FROM AFRIUPDATE
President Buhari came to power through popular votes. However, from the time he assumed office till date, his performances in the area of security and economy have remained poor. The aborted meeting with the National Assembly would have afforded him the opportunity to correct the erroneous belief that he is not in charge. With the abduction of over 600 students in Kankara Local Government of Katsina State, the insecurity situation in the Northwest state has taken a dangerous dimension.
Nonetheless, Nigerians continue to seek answers to such questions as: why have Katsina, Zamfara and Kaduna states continued to experience ceaseless attacks from bandits? Why have kidnappers continued to terrorise Kaduna-Abuja road? How come the deciminated or technically defeated Boko Haram continue to launch attacks against security forces and on helpless Borno communities?
It is not too late for the president to set another time to address our curious lawmakers.
Follow our socials Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Google News.
