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Senate Committee on Interior's Chairman, Abubakar Bagudu says there must be coordination in handling security matters in Nigeria
The current security challenges being faced by Nigeria has been attributed to the "gaps" in the way security matters are coordinated in the country.
The Senate Committee on Interior made the assertion during its visit to the Ministry of Interior on Thursday. The Committee was at the Ministry to carry out its annual oversight function.
The Committee Chairman, Abubakar Bagudu pointed out that "part of the security challenges we are facing in Nigeria today is primarily because there are gaps in the way internal security matters are coordinated.
He said the Ministry of Interior's roles in managing internal security challenges must be examined.
Senator Bagudu stressed that the Ministry must lead the way in helping to design for the nation, policy apparatus that concerns internal security.
While noting that when there are problems, the government always run to the traditional and religious leaders, the Committee Chairman said "yet, now that we are facing one of the worst challenges in the nation's history, we don't seems to be embodying a coordinate approach.
"These security challenges that are being witnessed by many countries in Africa require coordination from amongst the countries and we feel the ministry should focus on that more."
The Senator however, blamed the unhealthy competition within the agencies for the ineffectiveness in tackling the internal security challenges in the country.
Supervisory role, not enough
The Committee Chairman said the Interior Ministry occupies a very important position in the country's security apparatus because of its primary mission which, he noted, was not being performed.
"Over the years, the Ministry's primary role of being the lead intellectual and policy agent for this country's security affairs is being sidelined while the Ministry is been reduced to supervising the four agencies under it.
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Daily Trust