REPS TO MEET WITH DEFENCE MINISTER, CDS, OVER UNCULTIVATED MILITARY LAND ACROSS THE COUNTRY 17-07-24
By Sadiq Aminu The House of Representatives Committee on Defence will be meeting with the Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa to find out how the military plan to carry out the presidential directives to the Armed Forces to ensure that all the land they have is cultivated.
The Chairman, House Committee on Defence, Mr. Babajimi Benson who stated this when he spoke with Journalists in Abuja, appreciated President Bola Tinubu for mandating the Armed Forces to also put farming in the front burner to ensure that all the land they have be cultivated for farming.
Mr. Benson explained that this measure is part of efforts by President Tinubu’s administration to promote and ensure food security in Nigeria.
“If there is food security, insecurity will go down. So the Army takes possession lets say they have 1 million hectares somewhere, there is not going to be insecurity, is going to be manned by the military.
Mr. Benson while commending President Tinubu for ensuring that there is local autonomy, point out that the supreme Court judgment for financial autonomy for Local Government would help in addressing insecurity in the country as security starts from the grassroots and with the autonomy, local government council chairmen will have more funds to develop their areas and secure lives as well as properties.
The member representing Ikorodu Federal Constituency of Lagos State stressed that the financial autonomy to local government would spur development and close ungoverned spaces which induced insecurity.
“When I received report from my military people they tell us that there are a lot of ungovernable spaces, they are areas where no single government presence is existing. These will be made aware that this local government that is next to border or whatsoever has received so much money. So, it also behoves on the people to be wise in choosing people that administer them because if you do that, this is a game changer in my opinion.
He emphasized that the Financial autonomy would encourage healthy competition amongst local governments, there by promoting socio-economic development at the grassroot level.
On State Police, Mr. Babajimi Benson suggested that State Police should not be made compulsory on all states but any state that wants it, the governor should apply with necessary conditions attached to it, to ensure its effective and efficient operationalization.