The Senate on Wednesday, May 4, 2016 considered and
passed for second reading one legislation and adopted the resolutions of
its Joint Committee on Police Affairs, National Security and
Intelligence’s Report on the Unfortunate Recurrence of Kidnapping and
Hostage in Nigeria – A National Wake-up Call.
The
day’s plenary session presided over by the Senate President, Bukola
Saraki; started with the debate on the general principles of “A Bill for
an Act to Establish the Agricultural Credit Scheme to Promote
Commercial Agriculture in Nigeria, ensure Credit Support for Production,
Storage and Processing of Target Commodities, Market Development,
Agricultural Enterprise and for other related matters, 2016”. The Bill
was sponsored by Sen. Mao Ohuabunwa (Abia North).
Debate
on the Agricultural Credit Scheme heralded the following distinguished
Senators who lent their voices in support of the Bill; Sen. Ibrahim
Gobir, Sen. Ahmed Lawan, Sen. Aliyu Wamakko, Sen. Emmanuel Bwacha, Sen.
Ike Ekweremadu, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, Sen. Mustapha Bukar, Sen. Abubakar
Kyari, Sen. Dino Melaye, Sen. Foster Ogula, Sen. Barnabas Gemade, Sen.
Bukar Abba Ibrahim and the Senate President, Bukola Saraki.
In
his submission, Sen. Saraki asserted that the Agricultural sector as a
promising and viable mainstay of the economy needs proper regulation in
the area of funding and access to credit scheme which should be made
available to genuine farmers. He added that the nation should avoid the
pitfall of the past whereby genuine farmers were deprived of such
facilities and ended up in the wrong hands.
The
Bill scaled through second reading when it was placed on voice vote
before the Chamber and has been referred to the Committee on Agriculture
and Rural Development, to report back in four weeks.
Similarly,
the Senate has considered and adopted the seven Resolutions of its
Joint Committee on Police Affairs, National Security and Intelligence in
respect of a Motion on the unfortunate recurrence of Kidnapping and
Hostage-taking in Nigeria – National Wake-up Call. Presenting the
Report, Sen. Abu Ibrahim identified the failure of the security
operatives to perform optimally due to under funding and poor
remuneration of personnel among other things.
Sen.
Shehu Sani is of the view that kidnapping and hostage-taking has become
a serious national threat that must not be treated with a kid’s glove.
He recalled that unlike in the past when the menace was only prevalent
in southern Nigeria, currently it has spread to all parts of the
country. He advocated for the provision of employment opportunities to
the teeming youths of the country to reduce anti-social vices.
However,
Sen. Bala Ibn Na’Allah perceived kidnapping and hostage-taking as a
major challenge that the nation’s security operatives should be called
upon to explain.
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