22 Senators meet Jonathan over insurgency

By Ezrel Tabiowo
Abuja

Abducted girls: Nigeria will defeat Boko Haram – Mark

Determined to confront headlong the rising spate of insurgency in the country, a delegation of 22 Senators met with President Goodluck Jonathan last night to discuss the recent abduction of 234 school girls by men suspected to be Boko Harm members in Chibok, Borno state.

The delegation, which was led by the Senate President David Mark, included Senators Boluwaji Kunlere, Babafemi Ojudu, Zainab Kure, Alkali Jajere, James Manager, Helen Esuene, Chris Anyanwu, Ali Ndume, Ahmed Zannah, Maina Ma’aji Lawan, Nenadi Esther Usman, Mohammed Magoro, and Emmanuel Bwacha.

Others were Ahmed Lawan, Barnabas Gemade, Sola Adeyeye, Bindowo Jibrilla, Ehigie Uzamere, Bello Tukur, Bukar Abba Ibrahim, and Eyinnaya Abaribe.
The meeting, Blueprint gathered, was intended to avail some of the lawmakers on the delegation who are representatives of the areas ravaged by insurgency the opportunity to disclose and inform the president on the latest intelligence fed from their respective constituents.
Recall that the Senate had, on Tuesday during plenary, urged Jonathan to declare total war against insurgents in the country just as it also condemned in strong terms the abduction of the female students.

The Senate also had, in its resolutions sequel to a motion considered, urged the federal government and the security agencies to intensify efforts at rescuing the abducted girls, as well as seek the cooperation and aid of other countries and international security institutions to deploy advanced technological measures, including dialogue, towards rescuing the adopted children safely.

In a related development, Senate President David Mark, has assured Nigerians that the government would stop at nothing towards ensuring that the battle against insurgency was won at all cost against the Boko Haram sect.
He gave the assurance yesterday while addressing angry women who protested to the National Assembly to demand the release of the abducted Chibok girls.

The Senate president, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, and Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha, were heavily drenched yesterday as they defied the heavy downpour to receive the protesting women.
The National Assembly had just risen from yesterday’s plenary session when the angry women stormed the National Assembly to register their protest before the lawmakers, urging them to do something urgently.

Addressing the protesters, Mark assured them with the comment: “Our hearts are with you at this critical moment. The Senators and Members of the House of Representatives wept over this abduction. We have reached an unbearable stage. We can no longer tolerate this.

“We are drenched, totally soaked in the rain. It is better to be beaten by the rain and get our children freed from their captors. If it means standing in the rain until the girls are freed we are prepared to do so.

“We are lost for words. We can only apologise that it is taking this long to get these girls released. We are not going to rest until the last of the girls is freed. All the security apparatus, all of us, must get involved in this battle.

“There is no mistaking the fact that we are in a state of war. With God on our side, we shall triumph over evil.”
The weather-beaten women, most of whom wailed uncontrollably, urged the government to employ all that is needed to rescue the girls.
One of the speakers and former education minister, Mrs Oby Ezekwesili, said the situation has become intolerable, saying that nothing should be left to chance to save these children.
She reminded the government at all levels of the primary goal of governance, which is the welfare and security of citizens.