A Nigerian Senator has affirmed that the country is bleeding owing to the pervading insecurity virus gripping all sectors and making lives unsafe.
Smart Adeyemi (APC, Kogi West) who among the 15 Senators was moved to tears while contributing to the debate.
The Nigerian Senate had, Tuesday, deliberated on the worsening security situation across the nation and threw the plenary open for contributions from all the actors.
Adeyemi began, “Insecurity is a serious problem in Nigeria. There comes a time where we cannot but speak the truth irrespective of sentiments. A lot has been said this morning, Mr President and I want to thank you for giving us time to speak expressly on this issue.
“Like my sister was saying, there comes a time when talk will talk itself. There comes a time where truth will become like torchlight in the midst of silence so you are forced to talk.
“Mr President, we need not run away from the fact that more than ever before in the history of our nation, this is the worst instability we are facing. In fact this is worse than the civil war.
“Mr. President, the solution is very simple. Today that there is a lot of misgivings and misinterpretations of what is happening. While some people in government are supporting this move, some people believe some people are sponsoring those who are destabilising our country.
“The answer is very simple. We cannot pretend that we are capable of confronting the situation in our hands.
“America has powerful as they are, when the pandemic came, it got to a time that China came to their rescue. We should not pretend. We need foreign support now.
“Let nobody deceive us. A lot of billions of naira have been voted for security services. Nothing is coming out of it. We wouldn’t wait until our nation gets burned. Let us shout and call for foreign support.
“I am a full APC man and I have been supporting my party but the President should get to know that it has gotten to a point that we who are supporters and members of the APC, we can no longer keep quiet.
“The President must rise to the occasion. You cannot see the truth and be afraid to say because you think you will die?
“Mr President, the nation is on fire. The President must rise to the occasion. It costs us nothing to get foreign support to save this country unless we will be consumed.
“Everyone of us- we have a chapter of history. Whenever the history of this period is written, whatever is our position, we have a chapter.
“We cannot keep quiet any longer. It has gotten to a point that we cannot sleep with our two eyes closed. Our children are not free. The President must rise to the occasion.
“There is no nation that is so powerful that it doesn’t need the help of another nation. The situation is our security system has collapsed. It has failed and because it has failed, we need to look for foreign support.
“Forget the ego, forget the status among African nations. Today, we are facing serious problem. For our nation to survive this period, I am not in doubt that the security architecture we have today, cannot cope with what we are facing.
“Every part of this country is not safe– from North to South. Nobody is safe. Nobody can travel 50 kilometers in our nation. I feel like shedding tears for a country that we grew up where nobody harasses you when you travel from Lagos to Maiduguri. Today, I cannot travel from here to Kaduna or Niger state where I was born.
“The President must know that this is a bad time for our nation. We must look for foreign support to save this nation. They are killing people in the East, West, North and South. We should shut down the National Assembly.
“Let’s shut down the National Assembly, if we cannot save this country, we stay in our homes. Our country is bleeding. People are in poverty. There’s no food. People are hungry. Insecurity is threatening us.
“We cannot pretend. It’s better we are not here than to waste time when people are dying. Everyday, Nigerians are dying. We must rise to the occasion.”
Senator Remi Tinubu Attacks
Remi Tinubu, senator representing Lagos central attacked Adeyemi, her All Progressives Congress (APC) colleague from Kogi west, over the latter’s comments on Nigeria’s security challenges.
Tinubu, who interrupted him, asked: “Are you in PDP (Peoples Democratic Party)? Are you a wolf in sheep’s clothing?”
In recent weeks, the country has witnessed a spike in criminal activities, from Boko Haram insurgency to banditry and kidnapping.
Sani Bello, Niger Governor, said on Monday that Boko Haram has hoisted its flag in a Shiroro LGA of the state and ‘appropriated’ married women to themselves as spoilt of war.
Nigeria recorded more than 10 security incidents on Monday, April 26 as killings, abductions and attacks continued unabated across the country.
