Senator Ali Ndume yesterday called for increased security funding and provision of technological equipment for soldiers to fight terrorism.
He also advised government to cut down some discretionary services, including the activities of the National Assembly, to redirect funds toward tackling rising insecurity
Ndume, who spoke on the Channels Television, suggested that lawmakers could meet on a quarterly basis, adding that compensation to lawmakers can then reflect the adjusted sitting schedule.
He said Nigeria should reduce spending on areas that do not significantly benefit the majority of citizens and focus instead on ensuring public safety.
Ndume, who represents Borno South, said: “Urgently, we must discard everything as far as I am concerned and even if it is necessary to shut down some discretionary services, starting with the National Assembly. You can cut it off and ask us to sit, maybe in a quarter, for example “
He frowned at the recurrent and overhead costs despite the unresolved 2025 budget.
Ndume said: “We sit for some time, depending on the workload that we have, and are paid accordingly. And now, the 2025 budget is not running; we are in 2025, but the recurrent and overhead costs are running, and who is benefitting?
“Less than five per cent of Nigerians, and it is a lot of money. So, why don’t we shut down all these things and use the money to secure the people first?” he stated.
Acknowledging that his proposal may create friction between him and his colleagues at the National Assembly, Ndume said he was not worried about any potential backlash.
He said he is long standing legislator, adding: “I have been in trouble before so many times.”
Ndume stressed: “I am not saying you should shut down the National Assembly, let me clear you, and it is not because you have scared me now. What I am saying is realistically, our house is on fire, and we need everything to put that fire out.
“So, if that means the National Assembly will have to reduce their activities so that we pay you less and then use the money to concentrate on security, I am sure many of my colleagues will agree to that,” Ndume added.
The senator raised concerns about the country’s limited technological capacity, lamenting that Nigeria currently operates only a few satellites, which are insufficient for effective security surveillance.
He expressed worry over the constraints by security agencies who are unable to monitor the activities of terrorists due to inadequate tracking infrastructure.
Ndume said: “You know that one of the fundamental problems we have in the security sector is that we don’t have the ability to track criminals in real time, and the satellite we are talking about, Nigeria has only four and one has issues.”
He also said although the existing satellites provided some capability, they were not enough to address the scale of the security challenges.
Ndume said: “Why were we not able to trace the general who was missing in action? It was because we don’t have adequate tracking systems.”
