Insecurity : Senate Grills Service Chiefs Wednesday, Thursday This Week

…Shifts interface with CBN Gov To Friday

The Senate, on Tuesday, noted that it would grill the Service Chiefs on Wednesday and Thursday this week, to thoroughly discuss the unabating state of insecurity in the country.

The Senate stated this during the postponement of the earlier scheduled interface of the Senate Committee on Banking Insurance and other Financial Institutions with the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), from Tuesday to Friday this week.

The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Adetokunbo Abiru, who spoke for the members, said that the planned interface with the CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, was shifted to Friday, because Wednesday and Thursday, had been slated for grilling of the Service Chiefs by the Senate.

The Senate had by its resolution on Tuesday last week, summoned the Service Chiefs to appear before it in plenary for necessary explanations on worsening security situation in the country, just as its Committee on Banking, summoned the CBN Governor to appear before it today (Tuesday) on the State of the nation’s economy and free flow of the Naira.

Members of the Committee, in line with the resolution, gathered in room 211, venue of the planned interface with the CBN Governor from 3:00pm to 4:30pm before resolving to postpone it to Friday this week

Announcing the postponement, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Abiru said: “After waiting for close to two hours for the CBN Governor on the planned interface, we have resolved to postpone it to Friday this week by 9:00am prompt.

“Postponement of the interface between our committee and the CBN Governor , arose from the fact that he and other managers of the Nation’s economy, have been interfacing with our colleagues in the House of Representatives since morning without knowing when exactly, the session would end.

“We would have fixed Wednesday or Thursday this week as the new day for the interface but the Senate as a whole, has fixed the two days for very critical and constructive engagement with the Service Chiefs.

“This made us to eventually settled for Friday this week for interface with the CBN Governor by 9: 00am prompt.

“Communication to this effect, would be forwarded to the CBN Governor today ( Tuesday) and possibly other government officials managing the economy”.

Earlier the Senate in plenary had two hours closed door session, after which it considered a motion from Senator Ahmad Lawan on the demise of Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim, by observing a minute silence for the deceased and raising 9- man delegation for condolence visit to Governor of Yobe State and family of the deceased.

The delegation is to be led by Senator Adamu Aliero (PDP, Kebbi Central).