Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Idris Wase, Wednesday, refused to grant audience to representatives at a meeting where the nation’s service chiefs were expected.
The House of Representatives following a resolution on Tuesday in face of attack on the Abuja-Kaduna train, scheduled the meeting for Wednesday, where its Committees on Aviation, National Security and Intelligence, Police Affairs, Army, Airforce, Defence and Land Transport, were expected to engage with the security chiefs and ministers in charge of the aforementioned sectors.
However, when the Deputy Speaker who was to preside over the meeting listened to representatives of those concerned, he said “This meeting was called sequel to a motion brought before the floor of the House regarding what is happening in Kaduna over the incessant attack, first our airports, then the railways and the various communities around Kaduna. This became a matter of urgent importance for us to tackle because Nigerians no longer have recipe in terms of means of movement, ease of communication and many loss of lives.
“That is the reason why the House in its own wisdom put up this committee to be chaired by the leadership of the House alongside the all the chairmen of the various committees that has to do with security to interface with the agencies responsible.
“We do not have any doubt regarding your capacity and your role. But as a House, I am constrained as a Deputy Speaker to continue the meeting because the accounting officers that are supposed to be here, while you give them the necessary support.
“So we cannot proceed and I am saying with a heavy heart that no matter the assignment that our generals are handling, I believe the parliament requires a listening ear. This is the House of the people. I am saddened, I am not happy. I am expressing my disappointment. I do not know if you have any tangible excuse. Because in all the agencies, none have the respect to have one chief executive here. It means then maybe we are considered to be jokers but we are not jokers. We are not.”
Major General Oti Akinjobi, who is Chief of Operations, Nigerian Army, had explained that the CDS and service chiefs are currently at a meeting “on the directive of the president for the same reasons we are here to discuss, the issues in Kaduna. The express nature of the assignment demanded that they hold a meeting immediately and they have been in session since last night up to this time”.
