Senate has received and adopted the report from its Security Summit.

The summit, held from February 8 to 12 in Abuja, was organised by the National Assembly with the aim to proffer solutions to the growing rate of insecurity in the country.

Senate Leader, Mr Ahmed Lawan (APC, Yobe North) presented the report to the upper chamber after over four months.

The report, which has 20 recommendations, called on the federal government to make more recruitments in to the various security agencies in the country as the current personnel are overstretched.

In the report, Senate also called for low-interest rate loans for herders to develop ranching businesses in the country as well as integrate the Almajiri system with the formal educational system.

Read the full recommendations below:

20 Recommendations from Report of Senate’s Security Summit Nigerian Senate’s Security Summit

1. The nation’s basic security infrastructure must be comprehensively reviewed and strengthened. The Nigerian political structure must be a major factor in the review of the nation’s security apparatus.

2. The security challenges of the nation must be isolated from political partisanship, and ethno-religious sentiments. Political activities must not fuel the further deterioration of the nation’s national security.

3. The national security structure of the nation must be revised by the Presidency to address the gaps in coordination, collaboration and synergy. Additionally clear lines of authority and responsibility for national security issues must be identified and adopted.

4. In order to increase the capacity of the Nigerian police, military and other para-military agencies (who are currently overstretched) to respond to national security issues, the federal government must ensure that there is further recruitment in these organisations.

5. Ensure that the collaboration between federal security and law and order agencies must be reviewed in order to reduce the exposure of citizens to extra-legal influences.

6. Investments by the federal government must be made in order to incorporate technology into the core of Nigeria’s national security architecture and management.

7. Nigeria must reduce its dependence on importing its basic security equipment and must immediately develop its internal research and development capacities in order to meet our basic national security needs.

8. The Nigerian judiciary must operate with the highest standards of justice in order to ensure that citizens have confidence in our judicial system’s ability to freely and fairly dispense of justice.

9. The nation must examine options other than the use of force in its response to national security issues. The nation must develop strategies to improve the chances of resolving conflicts without resorting to the use of force.

10. The nation must immediately develop a strategy to limit the proliferation of firearms and other light weapons amongst the citizens.

11. Nigeria must assert its sovereignty amongst its neighbours, particular in the areas of arms control, drugs, terrorism, transhumance and economic sabotage. Additionally, all international commitment that impact our domestic national security must be reviewed.

12. The international commute has demonstrated its willingness to support Nigeria in the fight against violent groups. In this regard, the nation must improve in areas that inhibit its support from the international community — particularly in the areas of human rights, accountability and transparency.

13. The presence of millions of IDPs in the North-East and millions of other who have had no education or strong social links presents a potent threat the present and future security of the nation. The nation must immediately develop careful policies and initiatives that are aimed at addressing the reconstruction, rehabilitation, and development of the North-East and the development of the uneducated members of our society.

14. The national growing population may become a major threat to its future, unless substantial and sustained investments are made in the areas of human capital development, particularly education and health. In this regard, a visionary strategy must be developed for the national economy that is aimed at providing quality education, skills development and employment for our nation’s young people.

15. Corruption and waster are threats to our national security. In this regard, a strong political will, effective policies and improvements must be made to ensure the efficiency of institutions.

16. The entire focus of governments across all levels must target poverty reduction, as poverty is a threat to national security. All current policies must be re-evaluated to ensure that they are effective.

17. The nation must develop its knowledge and skills in managing its extensive forest reserves in order to turn them into assets. This is because the nation’s demographic indices indicate shifts in our population size, composition, land use and impact of the environment on human economic activities.

18. There is a need to generate the strong political will to improve the policy, legislation, regulatory and enforcement capacities to reduce the damage of the production, importation and consumption of illicit drugs in the nation — which represent a major threat to national security.

19. The Federal and State governments should work out a strategy to integrate the Almajiri system with the formal western educational system.

20. The Federal Government should provide low-interest rate loans for herders to develop ranching businesses in the country.

PT