LINUS CHIBUIKE
CHAIRMAN, House of Representatives Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Benjamin Kalu, has said the declaration of a state of emergency, in view of the worsening security situation in the country, is more important than the lawmakers’ invitation to President Muhammadu Buhari, which he accepted.
The President was invited on Tuesday to brief the House, following the gruesome killing of 43 rice farmers in Borno State last Saturday.
While speaking with journalists on the invitation in Abuja, Kalu said unless a state of emergency was declared on security, the President’s hands would be tied to do what former President Goodluck Jonathan did – ask for external help.
He said this just as he noted that Buhari did not honour the previous invitations of the 8th Assembly to speak on the security situation in the country because that Assembly was in “warfare” with him and was always holding back the annual budget.
The Reps’ spokesperson argued that the current National Assembly had always passed the Appropriation Bill promptly, which would be a consideration for the President to honour its invitation.
On the call for a state of emergency, the Reps’ spokesperson said, “Inviting Mr President is not the only thing that was discussed at plenary. What was discussed also included asking President Buhari to declare a state of emergency on security and, to me, that is more important. It is more important concerning what we intend to achieve.
“We want to give the President that leeway to be able to use other sources, mechanisms to solve the problem. Unless there is a declaration of state of emergency on security, Mr President’s hands will be tied to do what former President Jonathan did, which was asking for external help and bringing in external help…The constitution will not allow Mr. President to act in this direction.”
According to him, Nigerians should be proud that he and his colleagues had tied their resolutions with that of the northern governors who had asked that a state of emergency be declared on security.
Kalu said, “The invitation that the House gave to Mr President is not as important as the declaration of a state of emergency which will help the nation to achieve what they want to achieve.
“Is it in order to invite Mr President? The answer is yes. We are on the side of the people. If the people are saying that the President should answer to the parliament, that call is in order. The President has been invited so many times but he was invited by those who were in warfare with him.
“Remember the people who invited the President before were the ones who held his budget for six months and then you invite him and expect him to come? You want him to answer questions on issues he was supposed to use the money that you’re supposed to appropriate for?
“But this Assembly has not withheld the budget of Mr. President. We have given Mr. President his budget in good time. So, he has no reason not to oblige the request of the Nigerian people. We are looking at solutions. If he visits us and we interact with him, the question you will ask me is after the visit of Mr President, what next?
“Okay, he walks through the door and we interact with him. Has that stopped the killing in the North? No. He will come. But beyond the coming of Mr President, what we’re saying today is that the House has equipped Mr. President with the mandate to declare a state of emergency on security.”
