NATIONAL CONFERENCE Committee on National Security Progress Report (Verbatim): 29-04-14 The chairman (Mohammed Gambo Adamu JIMETA) welcomed the members of the committee. He said that the subcommittee on Crisis Management Bodies led by Maj-Gen. Geoffrey EJIGA (rtd) presented their preliminary report yesterday. But the entire committee members were yet to comment on the recommendations made by that subcommittee. He asked if, alternatively, they want the committee on Law and Order Infrastructure to present their preliminary report before they generally comment on the recommendations or they want to comment on the recommendations of Crisis Management Bodies first before moving to the next report. The committee members all agreed that the last preliminary report should be presented before comments are made on all the recommendations. Unfortunately, the subcommittee on Law and Order Infrastructure were not ready with their preliminary report. The subcommittee on Law and Order Infrastructure led by Gen. Paul OMU (rtd) said that the reason they were not ready with their preliminary report was because they needed to discuss with the principal officers in some of the security agencies to know the challenges they are facing and to ask them relevant questions before coming up with their recommendations. He said they have sent out invitation letters to some security agencies and that the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Prison Service will appear before the subcommittee today by 4pm. The chairman (Mohammed Gambo Adamu JIMETA) updated committee members on the meeting, which the principal officers of the various committees had with the secretariat yesterday. He said that the secretariat wanted to know the challenges they were facing in the subcommittee and the extent of work that has been done. He added that the principal officers complained of the short timeframe given to them for the subcommittee work. In addressing his committee members, Mohammed Gambo Adamu JIMETA said that the only way to meet up with quick with the subcommittee work is to get everyone involved in the subcommittee work. He cited that one of the recommendations that got his attention was the recommendations of the deputy chairman in his presentation of his views on national security. He also said that the stand of the deputy chairman, Chief Albert K. HORSFALL on the security challenges in Nigeria, which is the lack of coordination and interrelationship between the various security agencies were also his own views. REACTIONS The chairman called for comments and observations on the preliminary report presented by Maj-Gen. Geoffrey EJIGA (rtd). The committee made some observations on the recommendations. Among the observations was a noted observation by Brig. Gen. (Barr.) D. O IDADA-IKPONMWEN who said that the place of the Chief of Defence Staff being the head of the defence staff was not stated in the constitution, but has always been assumed to be so. He also said that the rivalry in the military is as a result of the roles not specifically defined. That with clearly defined roles means the issue of rivalries will be solved in the military. His observation brought contentions on who is supposed to be chairman of the chief of staff’s and some vital issues in the military was also deliberated on. So, the Chairman (Mohammed Gambo Adamu JIMETA) added that to solve those vital issues, the military personnel in the committee should meet and form a subcommittee that will look into the issue and come up with recommendations. He added that the term of reference is to produce a guideline for the commanders- in-chief. The meeting was adjourned for after lunch by 4pm. Immediately after lunch, the subcommittee on Law and Order Infrastructure led by Gen. Paul OMU (rtd) had the presence of the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Prison Service (NPS) Zakari Ibrahim OHINOYI. The subcommittee members asked the Controller General question bothering on the state of the prisons, the issue of state police and state prisons, the issue of corruptions in the prison services, the issue of how female inmates are handled, and the synergy between the Nigerian prisons, the police and the judiciary, other challenges that the prison services were facing. The Controller General presented a memorandum to the subcommittee on Law and Order Infrastructure. In the response of Zakari Ibrahim OHINOYI, he said that he was not definitive in his opinion about state police and state prison. But, where there is a state police, there should be a state prison. If it doesn’t flow that way there will be a challenge. He added that with the state of our security, it might be challenging bringing the issue of state police and state prison as he noted that Nigeria was not ready for it and this is not the right time. On the issue of the state of the prison, he said that this present administration has done a lot and the prisons across the country have been improved, citing Kano and Porthacort prisons as an instance. He stressed that the prisons is the centre of both the police and the judiciary and that presently they are all in synergy working together. He emphasized that when there is a jailbreak, the people that are involved in making it happen are punished and most times he said they pay with their jobs. He concluded by talking on the thirty five percent affirmation for women in the service that unlike before when women were removed from some areas in the prison services, it is no longer the same. Women are now included in all that is going on in the prison services. The Controller General of the Nigeria Prison Service presented relevant documents to the subcommittee. Chairman (Gen. Paul OMU (rtd) of the subcommittee on Law and Order Infrastructure adjourned the meeting in the absence of questions.
Posted on: Tue, 29 Apr 2014 22:43:49 +0000
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