By Nathaniel Zacchaeus, Abuja
At an Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Affairs, tasked lawmakers globally with reducing too much scrutiny of the defence ministry’s budgets to enable the military to tackle insecurity.
Ibrahim, who holds a doctorate in modern warfare, advised during his presentation on power and insecurity at the just concluded 150th IPU meeting in Uzbekistan.
According to a statement by his Media Office, the senator said the supportive approach to annual budgeting for the ministries of Defence was necessary globally to stem the escalation of insecurity in many countries.
He said, “The central question for governments and security agencies should be: security for whom, when, and how? Addressing power and insecurity issues alongside their ecosystems is key to the security of the geocentric system.”
He noted that the government’s failure to effectively address poverty will further exacerbate insecurity in any society, requiring courage to address the flip side of fear among citizens and failing systems.
Ibrahim said, “Life is increasingly tricky amid this struggle, yet we still maintain a defence structure. It is only a matter of time before one of these emotions- fear or courage- prevails. I saw fear within government leadership, leading to unprecedented crises and heightened insecurity.”
He added that when parliament functions as an oversight entity examining security expenditures, it might inadvertently foster insecurity.
He said lawmakers should adopt collaborative and supportive approaches globally regarding annual budgets for ministries of Defence.
He added that the key concern for parliaments globally should be efficient system and process creation and management in fighting fraud related to security spending.
