Ezrel Tabiowo
The Senate yesterday at last unanimously approved President Goodluck Jonathan’s request in a letter last week for an extension of emergency rule in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.
But the Senate’s approval to the President’s request was given the nod with a list of eight conditions reached during a closed meeting which lasted several hours.
Blueprint reliably gathered that the listed conditions was reached during the closed session as means of pacifying senators from the region who kicked against an approval of the President’s request.
The conditions as submitted by the Senate leader, Victor Ndoma Egba, are: That full military operation should be undertaken on sustained basis along with the emergency rule to clear out the insurgents; proper kitting and arming of the armed forces deployed to arrest the insurgency must be ensured by the federal government in addition to adequate welfare care for the troops.
Also, special recruitments into Armed Forces of screened and vetted youth particularly those in the civilian JTF who will receive emergency training for deployment into the troubled zones of the states should be urgently carried out.
Others are that the Ministers of Defence, Police Affairs, Service Chiefs, NSA and Director General of State Security Service (SSS) should report to the Senate on monthly basis, progress made in combating the insurgency on the basis of Which Senate can take any decision it reconsiders necessary including but not limited to the revocation of the declaration of State of Emergency.
That Mr President should immediately approve intervention funds to the affected states for their economic and development revival.
Although, the Senate in the conditions attached to its emergency rule extension approval, welcomed and endorsed the support of the international community in respect of efforts to rescue the abducted Chibok girls, but urged President Jonathan to expand the co-operation and collaboration to the overall arrest of the ugly incidence of terrorism in Nigeria.
Accordingly, when the Senate President, David Mark put the motion to voice vote as moved by the Senate Leader and seconded by the minority leader, George Akume, all the senators shouted YES!