The Senate on Tuesday, May 6, approved the organisation of a two-day national security summit aimed at tackling the country’s worsening insecurity.
The resolution followed a motion moved by Jimoh Ibrahim, who represents Ondo South, during plenary.
Ibrahim expressed concern that while President Bola Tinubu was on a working visit to France, several lives were lost to attacks by bandits in Plateau, Benue and Zamfara states.
The wave of violence prompted calls for the president to return and personally lead the fight against insecurity.
In his lead debate, Ibrahim linked the surge in global insecurity to the Russia-Ukraine war and rising tensions between the global north and south.
He said these issues had worsened food shortages and slowed progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.
The senator, a former Ondo governorship aspirant, also pointed to America’s trade tariff war and the shift in global power dynamics, which he said were eroding the gains of globalisation.
“This new order reflects in immigration policies, visa cancellations by new regimes, and countries raising funds by selling citizenship, all of which fuel economic conflict and undermine globalisation pursued over the last sixty years,” he said.
He warned that future wars might not be conventional, as economic warfare was becoming increasingly dominant.
“The next world war may not even require the fanfare of militarism. The incredible growing economic war is gaining ground with destructive innovation in security globally.
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“There is a need for alternative language in military engagement as well as enhanced funding to advance the professional practices and respected tradition of the future military,” he added.
Ibrahim therefore proposed an “empirical fact-finding national security summit” to generate sustainable solutions.
Supporting the motion, Mohammed Dandutse, who represents Katsina South, blamed the persistent insecurity on poor intelligence coordination among security agencies.
“Nigeria is blessed, we have no other country except Nigeria. We have to face these criminals squarely. No country succeeds except with peace and security.
“The security agencies are given funding. So there is a need for the judicious spending of these resources,” he stated.
However, not all lawmakers agreed. Enyinnaya Abaribe from Abia South and Adamu Aliero from Kebbi Central opposed the idea, arguing that a summit might not resolve the challenges.
Their view was challenged by Benue North-West’s Titus Zam and Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro, who backed the summit proposal.
After a voice vote, the motion was passed by the majority. Senate President Godswill Akpabio, while supporting the move, adjusted the proposed duration from three to two days.
The Senate also set up an ad-hoc committee to coordinate the summit, which is to take place in Abuja. It will feature participants from all tiers of government and traditional institutions.
Additionally, the Senate urged the federal government to review and restructure its security architecture based on the summit’s outcomes.