Insecurity: ‘Our hands ‘re tied’ said House Of Rep

Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Army, Mr Muktar Betara, has said that the task of providing the necessary logistics to tackle the menacing security situation in the country was the responsibility of the executive.

He said the hand of the House in tackling the problem of Boko Haram, piracy, militancy and other criminal activities that are threatening the country was tied; as it was only the executive that could provide funds to the security agencies to confront the challenges headlong.
Betara, in an interview in Calabar, Cross River State, shortly after the commissioning of the Nigerian Army Assault Boats and the foundation laying ceremony of accommodation blocks at the Amphibious Training School, Calabar, said the budgetary allocation to the army to tackle insecurity in the country was poor.
He said the army was under-funded and should not be expected to perform miracles while confronted with security challenges, pointing out that there was no provision for the amphibious training school.
The lawmaker said the problem of poor funding of the military was from the Budget Office, adding that the House intended to have an audience with the President on the matter, as the army had been the only surviving institution in tackling security in the country.
He said: “We hail the Chief of Army Staff for what he is doing. Before now, we have been providing funds for the army but nothing happened.  Since he came on board, he has changed a lot of things and improved the morale of the military.”
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt-General Onyeabor Ihejirika, explained that the commissioned boats can operate deep in the creeks, adding that based on a critical assessment of the security situation, it would form the nucleus of the units to be established in the Niger Delta in line with the approved Nigeria Army ORBAT 2010.