Sir Kenny Okolugbo, Consultant on Communications and Strategy to the Office of the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has said that the 10th Senate has not relented in making resolutions to confront the security challenges facing the country.
In a statement on Sunday, Okolugbo said the Senate, led by Akpabio, had concluded hearings in the six geo-political zones of the country, aimed at finding lasting solutions to the decade-long security crisis.
According to him, the final hearing, expected to take place “anytime soon,” will aggregate the findings and recommendations on how to end the killing of Nigerians.
He stated that the hearing, which followed a motion moved in May this year by Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, will involve traditional rulers, emphasising that the deteriorating security crisis can only be addressed by tackling its causes at the grassroots.
Okolugbo argued that prior to claims of Christian genocide by the United States President, Donald Trump, and some US lawmakers, the 10th Senate under Akpabio had already raised concerns over the growing security challenges.
According to him, the issue with “us as a nation is that we do not pay attention to internal solutions, we get more excited at international interventions.
“We have killings of Christians and Muslims alike, but the pain is felt even more because the Senate President today is the highest ranked Christian in the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, being the number three citizen.”
Okolugbo said that Akpabio noted, following the motion by Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, that “the soldier that dies is someone’s brother, son, husband, and in the case of a female soldier, daughter, wife, and sister. Their death is just as painful as the deaths of the citizens killed.”
“In his words, we must all be involved in the issue of security, and the findings of the summit will be given legal backing and implemented immediately. He asked the present government to key into it, which is why you see that the Senate called for the recruitment of 100,000 more security personnel.
“This is not the time for blame games but a time for sober reflection on our situation as a nation. This is why the Senate has recommended the death sentence be passed on kidnappers, to serve as a deterrent to others. Senator Godswill Akpabio reminded the Senate that as a governor, he was the first to pass the death sentence on kidnapping,” Okolugbo added.