• ‘Us Helping Nigeria To Fight Insecurity A Welcome Devt’

Senator Ali Ndume represents Borno South Senatorial District at the National Assembly. In this interview monitored on Channels Television, he speaks on the controversy over the Electoral Act Amendment Bill; United States government support to Nigeria in the terrorism fight and military funding, among other issues, ANAYO EZUGWU reports

What do you make of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC’s) announcement of the timetable for the 2207 general election?

I think it has been like that for the past elections. Now, that the controversies that the elections have been dragged forward to 2026 have been finally put to rest, Nigerians can find another thing to talk about.

The Senate has come under intense scrutiny and criticism from a lot of Nigerians. Do you think that you and your colleagues did the right thing with the amendment of the Electoral Act?

A majority of us did the right thing. We had a hitch somehow, misunderstanding or undercut. But when Nigerians who were vigilant called our attention to that, we immediately called an emergency sitting to actually do what Nigerians want. And I think that is the right thing to do. Nigerians are vigilant, and we now know that Nigerians are vigilant. We can’t play with them because if you play with them, it’s at your peril.

Do you think that whatever you decided as an arm of the National Assembly, sitting well with a majority of Nigerians?

We are a bicameral body. Any decision that is taken by the Senate, if not ratified or agreed upon by the House of Representatives, will not work because members of the House of Representatives are 360 and we are 109.

That was why in this case, we set up a harmonisation committee to look at the electoral bill that we are processing. So, if the House of Representatives stand their ground, then the Senate version cannot fly because at the end of it, if we disagree, even at the harmonization, then the last stage will be to have a conference of all members and everybody will answer his father’s name. And looking at their number, we can’t get anywhere. We are virtually like onethird of the House of Representatives.

Are you worried that some Nigerians don’t think that the Senate is progressive in its approach to some of these issues?

Well, I’m a senator too, so it would be wrong for me to evaluate myself. I can only account for myself. And even at that, it is the public that will judge. I’m kind of worried, very worried because the Senate is supposed to be a deliberating body. I have complained several times that during our sittings, the Senate President is supposed to be a neutral person sitting down there.

But when you make a mistake as a presiding officer of taking side or look very similarly to be taking side, then you are putting yourself in trouble because any decision that is coming out now, there is confusion. And some people think that it is Akpabio’s decision; it should not be like that.

Security and welfare of citizens is the main purpose of government. Therefore, I’m appealing to the President to make sure that defence budget becomes a major priority

It should be the Senate’s decision. Every decision we take should be what the senators’’ want, the 108 of us, excluding Akpabio because with him becoming the Senate president, he has lost some of his fundamental privileges. That is to say, to even contribute is so limited. He is supposed to preside over the Senate; not to be senator’s president, but Senate President.

Have you spoken to him about your concern?

I did but there are certain things that human beings do unconsciously or consciously, and you can’t take that away. You can’t change him. He’s not a small person. He is over 60 but the way he runs the Senate, if you look at it, sometimes you think that Akpabio is not serious. He will joke over everything although sometimes that helps to douse the tension. But when it happens most of the time, then it became some kind of problem.

What really happened during the budget defence committee meeting?

Situation like that occur because we’re expressing ourselves. But I don’t think it will degenerate to that level. Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi is my junior; he knows that. And I think he has some problem of anger management but everybody has his own shortcomings. Nwebonyi was just angry that we have not been fair to him, which is understandable, but went too far with the way he expressed himself.

He was saying that Senator Adams Oshiomhole spoke for 15 minutes and while he was trying to express his views, the chairman of the committee tried to stop him from doing that. But no matter how angry he was, the chairman is old enough, I believe, to be Nwebonyi’s father. So, whenever you are in a situation like that, you try to control your anger and not to go too far.

I was trying to just calm him down but he reacted again. You know why? My thinking is that he thought I was supporting him. So, when he discovered that I was criticizing, he got angry again. And it’s understandable. I don’t think it should have degenerated into that. When we are in the House, we do a lot of that. I don’t pick a fight that I cannot win.

You saw what the United States lawmakers are coming up about religious tolerance in Nigeria. There’s a possibility that they will impose sanctions, and people like Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso and other groups are right in the line of fire based on the deliberation and the debate of the U.S. lawmakers. Are some of you possibly at risk of such a thing?

Yes, but what I’m sure of is that the fact that this is a bill introduced and it has gone through first reading in both the Senate and the House. I’ve been trying to get my hands on the copy of the bill and what it contains but it’s not yet in the public domain. It is only when I get the details that I will be in a position more about it. But I know the summary. In the summary, I know that the bill is recommending sanctions and even visa ban and confiscation of assets and all that. But there is nothing to worry about if somebody is actually clean. I’m surprised that Kwankwaso’s name was mentioned and I want to know how and when he got implicated.

I think something is cooking somewhere. I don’t want to go into that but the intelligence and information assets freeze and all that by the UK, America and other developed countries are misplaced. To me, I will prefer that they help us put their eyes on people of particular concern instead of country of particular concern because a majority of Nigerians are innocent people. There are a few people that are holding Nigerians’ assets outside and they know.

But up till now, there’s no good exposure about that but I think that is a topic for another day. But now that the Americans are helping us in terms of the fight against insurgency; it’s a welcome development. We have been looking for support and now that we have an opportunity, we must utilize it because I’ve been saying that our major setback in the fight against insurgency is support.

Now that America has agreed to provide us that support free of charge, it is a welcome development and their boots on ground does not involve engagement. Their troops are not going to be involved in physical combat.. In fact, they are not even going to be involved in command. They are going to work under the Nigerian Army leadership or command. They are going to help us do what I have been saying are the major problems, especially the three factors of training, equipment and intelligence.

The major problems that we have are that of intelligence, surveillance, and counter-attack. We tried that before; we even tried to buy equipment, but the law frustrated the process. But now, the Americans are saying, after this issue of genocide that came out, when their contingent came, the issue of terrorism is more than what they are thinking about. And they have also agreed that issue of genocide is not there. It’s just that the terrorists are killing Christians and also killing Muslims and other people.

They have realised that Nigeria needs help and they have agreed to help us. These are things that we have been begging for and we have not been able to get from the Americans. But now that they are willing to do that; I think it’s a welcome development and we have to use the opportunity. I’m happy that the President himself or the executive are responding positively to it in terms of increasing the number of boots on ground through recruitment and promotion.

The other thing that is still outstanding is the issue of motivation, and that is the remuneration of not only members of the armed forces but other security agencies because they are one of the most poorly paid. Besides the fact that their number is not enough, they are not well paid. They are also not well taken care of. If you go to the barracks and see the condition of the buildings where our security personnel are accommodated, you will feel sorry for them.

So you are okay even with America setting up a base here until we win the war?

Let me get this clear because that’s one of the major problems we have in the country, especially among the political or the elite class. The poor man down there in my village will welcome the American military to his house as long as he will have peace and sleep with his two eyes closed. But here we are because of this offer of support, some people are saying if they come, they set up a base. All these things are not necessary right now. If we have peace and we know that we can take care of ourselves, we don’t need anybody.

But if your house is on fire, even if it is your enemy that will give you water to put off the fire, you have to take the water first, put off the fire before you go back to whatever position you have with that person. But when your house is on fire, I think it would be stupid to say that you don’t need water from your neighbour. So, we have found ourselves in a very bad situation, especially in the North-East, and now that it’s escalating or has gone to almost everywhere, we need that support.

Do you think that the measures being put in place are yielding results?

You know that I’m one of the critics of the government, both this government and the previous one on the manner and the way they handled the issue of security, which is the main purpose of government because the constitution clearly states security and welfare of citizens is the main purpose of government. I have been critical but now, especially recently, the development we see calls for commendation of the efforts this government under Bola Tinubu. He has declared a state of emergency in security, which is good.

We have been looking for support and now that we have an opportunity, we must utilize it because I’ve been saying that our major setback in the fight against insurgency is support

Also, he has ordered the Nigerian Army to increase its recruitment, giving them up to a base of 50,000. And we hear of acquisition of platforms for the Nigerian Air Force. The proposed budget for defence this year is over N3.8 trillion. The only problem that we have with this budgeting stuff is still funding and lack of implementation.

The proposal on the budget is good, but the money is not coming and the way the money is even coming is the big problem. It is a big setback because even last year, I think the N3.25 trillion that was allocated defence, money released was insignificant looking at the situation.

What did they explain as reason for the lack of funds?

The major problem is those that the President entrusted with implementing or executing of these things. I have said several times, and even the Senate in general, during the recent budget defence by the Ministry of Defence before the Committee on Defence, was disappointed with the level of releases and achievements.

When the President signs an Appropriation Act, it means he has agreed that these are the things that are to be done. The other thing that is a major problem is lack of proper prioritization of the implementation of the budget. As I said, security and welfare of citizens is the main purpose of government.

Therefore, I’m appealing to the President to make sure that defence budget becomes a major priority. In America they do that. Even when you hear of shutdown of government, the monies that are for defence, security, social welfare, health and also agriculture are called the non-discretionary spending of government.

That is to say you cannot decide to say you are paying or you are releasing or not releasing. So, one thing the President needs to do is to make sure that the budget of Ministry of Defence should go under first-line charge. The Ministry of Finance has nothing to do with it. Only that once the time comes, the army people go to Central Bank and get their money quarterly or monthly.

In fact, preferably quarterly because some of the major equipment the army needs are not off-the-shelf items. We don’t even manufacture bullets, you have to buy from somewhere and it takes time. It’s not something that you can just place an order and get immediately. So, if you have the money, you buy for three months or six months. Another thing is the issue of allowance and salary.

After the operation of the American forces in Sokoto on Christmas Day last year, were you thinking that they would have done another one?

I was thinking that they would start from my local government because Boko Haram and ISWAP have dominated for the past 15 years and we have been calling for consistent and sustained attack until they are all eliminated.

That way, our people who are still in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp can go back. There are people who live on the mountains and farm there, but they have to run away. Boko Haram chased them. Up till now, there are some of them, who are captives that normally escape and come down.

I’m speaking for my people, especially my own local government. So, if the 200 Americans that some Nigerians are talking about, and are not comfortable with, please let them go to my local government and stay and operate from there. Our people will be happy. They can go to my house in Gwoza and stay as long as we have peace.

You know what? For the past 16 years, I cannot go to my village even under escort. I don’t risk going to my village from Maiduguri. Even if I have an emergency, I cannot just go. Before now, you can drive from here without escort up to my village So, if we say that American army is coming in to help us and we can see result, it is a welcome development.

Look at what happened in Kwara; up till now, nobody has been arrested, no trace of who did it. But if you have them, they are planned three locations, not based, so to say, but locations would be in Kainji. They are already there because our Tucanos, the A-29 Tucanos, are based in Kainji. Then the other one is that they are operational. These, they are drones that they are intending to have them where we have been crying out.

That is to have drones and attack armed drones that can take care, so that if there is an incident, within minutes, they can move there and take rapid response. Remember, lack of surveillance, equipment, and intelligence. Just recently, up to now, the brigade commander of Damboa in my senatorial district is still missing in action.

And just two days ago or so, a professor from the Nigerian Army University, died in captivity and we could not get even his dead body back. So, we had to perform his funeral in absence here. If we had intelligence, if we have surveillance, if we have the equipment that will do the correspondence effectively, all these things won’t happen.