Insecurity: Don’t Drive Wedge Between Senate And Presidency, Akpabio Warns Defence Minister
Senate President, Barrister Godswill Akpabio and the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele on Thursday warned the Minister of Defence, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru, against driving a wedge between the senate and the presidency through his public statements.
Recall that the minister had during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday described the planned two-day national security summit by the Senate as unnecessary.
The armed forces, he noted, are already better equipped and more sophisticated than insurgents, effective strategy, not summits, is therefore important in respect of improving security.
‘Strategy is far more important than a summit.
The summit will give input for the strategy, but operational orders come from the Defence Chiefs, not from public discourse’ he had submitted.
Team@orientactualmags.com learned that Akpabio and Opeyemi Bamidele criticized the minister’s assertions during a plenary session on Thursday warning that such remarks could undermine legislative initiatives and strain relations with the Presidency.
‘If the Ministry of Defence has any issue with any Senate resolution, it should not address it in the marketplace.
It should reach out to the Senate President or Senate elders. Such public remarks could lead to unnecessary executive-legislative conflict’ the Senate President submitted while also commending the 10th Senate for staying focused on national priorities despite distractions.
‘We are elected to work for the people and support the President’s agenda. But when we are falsely portrayed or publicly undermined, it becomes difficult to build synergy.
That the Minister of Defence could describe a Senate-backed national security summit as unnecessary is troubling. Summits may not be perfect, but they remain critical avenues for gathering diverse perspectives to inform strategic decisions’ Senator Opeyemi Bamidele also said-Team@orientactualmags.com Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com. Thank you
