Omo-Agege says Nigeria’s insecurity crisis is due to a serious intelligence gap.
The Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, has absolved President Muhammadu Buhari of any blame in Nigeria’s failure to contain insecurity.
Security agencies are fighting challenges in many parts of the country, especially against terrorists operating in many areas of the north.
Many lawmakers lamented about the state of insecurity during a plenary debate on Tuesday, November 30, 2021.
The debate revolved around the recent attack on a correctional centre in Plateau State that left 10 people dead, and over 200 inmates escaping the centre.
Omo-Agege said the nation should not be struggling against criminals because President Buhari’s funding requests for security agencies have been granted by the Senate.
“By way of funding, we have obliged him. So the fault is not that of Mr President, clearly,” the lawmaker said while appearing to shift the blame to underperforming security agencies.
The 58-year-old further noted that Nigeria’s insecurity crisis is due to a serious intelligence gap that needs to be plugged.
He said more funding must be funneled to the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), currently occupied by Babagana Monguno, as that’s where intelligence is coordinated.
Omo-Agege called on the president and the National Assembly to rectify the funding issue before the 2022 budget is signed into law in December.
“If the office of the NSA is not funded, then of course it means that we’re all in trouble,” he said.
Buhari assumed office in 2015 largely on the back of a promise to quickly put an end to insecurity, but challenges have escalated over the years, and his administration widely-condemned for failing to get to grips with the situation.