President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, says the National Assembly will accelerate support for President Bola Tinubu in strengthening security and advancing key reforms aimed at repositioning Nigeria’s economy.
Mr Akpabio stated this on Thursday after leading principal officers of the Senate on a traditional Sallah homage to Mr Tinubu at his Lagos residence.
“He (President) can’t do it alone. The National Assembly will assist him to ensure that we improve in the area of security. But it has actually improved,” Mr Akpabio said.
He noted that current security threats were largely targeted attacks on soft targets such as schools, churches and mosques, unlike previous periods marked by widespread insurgent occupation and bomb attacks.
“There is no part of Nigeria today where the flag of any insurgents, whether Boko Haram, is being hoisted. All those organised bomb blasts everywhere have been brought to an end,” he said.
The Senate president, however, acknowledged that more still needed to be done, especially in securing vulnerable communities and border areas.
“We believe that working with him, the National Assembly can come up with a solution and a framework that will enable the states to also partake in securing lives and property, and that is in the area of state police,” he stated.
Mr Akpabio disclosed that lawmakers were exploring the establishment of a regulated state policing system under a national framework.
“We are looking at ways of creating a positive and not a negative state police, something that can have a national state police commission that will regulate conduct, promotions and training,” he said.
He added that citizens also had a responsibility to support security agencies by remaining vigilant and reporting suspicious activities within their communities.
On the economy, Mr Akpabio commended Mr Tinubu’s reforms, saying they had repositioned Nigeria on the path of growth and stability.
“We came to appreciate Mr President for his reforms, which have done a lot to reposition Nigeria on the trajectory of growth.”
According to him, the administration inherited serious economic challenges, including multiple exchange rates, fuel subsidy payments and unsustainable borrowing practices.
“We met multiple exchange rates. He has stopped all that. We met a situation of fuel subsidies. He has stopped all that,” Mr Akpabio stated.
He also praised the administration for ending persistent fuel queues and harmonising tax systems across the country.
The Senate president highlighted infrastructure projects such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Lagos-Badagry-Sokoto road corridor as major initiatives capable of transforming the economy and boosting agriculture.
“The Lagos-Badagry-Sokoto road has about 74 dams that will revolutionise the agricultural sector in the country,” he said.
Mr Akpabio said the National Assembly remained committed to supporting policies and programmes beneficial to Nigeria’s long-term growth and development.
“We will stand by him so long as everything he proposes is positive for the future growth of this country.”
He further disclosed that the National Assembly was considering increasing statutory funding for the Nigeria Police Trust Fund from 0.5 per cent to one per cent of federation revenue allocation to strengthen police infrastructure and equipment.
Mr Akpabio said the Senate delegation also used the visit to pray for the president, peace in the country and the safe release of Nigerians still in captivity.
(NAN)
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