Reps’ clerk harps on solutions to security challenges
From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Clerk of the House of Representatives, Yahaya Danzaria tasked clerks of the various security related committees in the National Assembly to come up measures on how to resolve the security challenges in the country.
Danzaria, who spoke at the opening ceremony of a 2-day workshop for clerks of security related standing committees, said there was needs for the various security committees in the parliament to synergize so as to evolve measures how to secure the country .
The workshop with the theme: “Security sector governance: Promoting collaboration among Clerks of Security related Committees” was organised by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung ( KAS).
He noted that though the parliament is empowered by the constitution to oversight the security sector, the needed synergy among security oriented committees is often lacking.
According to him, “the importance of parliamentary involvement in the security sector is simple yet profound to wit; the Parliament being a congregation of representatives of the common man and saddled with the responsibility of making laws for the purpose of the persons it represents, it is a sine qua non that the Parliament does all it can to ensure that the interests of the persons it represents are truly safeguarded.
“While it is the standard practice for the Parliament to hold oversight powers over the security sector, the need for all relevant Committees of the Parliament to work synergistically towards this common goal is often neglected.
“The purpose of this workshop therefore is to encourage discourse on best possible practices for building parliamentary capacity in security sector governance with emphasis on promoting collaboration among the Clerks of all Security Centered Committees of the National Assembly.
“This very crucial endeavor is necessary for ensuring effective oversight, transparency, and accountability for management of our country’s security forces as well as improving the quality of decision making across board.”
