Sambo Says Democracy Under Threat, Reps Reject Removal Of Fuel Subsidy

Vice President Namadi Sambo has said that democracy in Nigeria will remain under threat until the security challenges in northern Nigeria are resolved. This is just as the speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal stated that the country is no longer peaceful as it has become a testing ground for terrorists.

Sambo and Tambuwal spoke yesterday in Abuja during a peace conference organized by People’s Media Limited on the lingering insecurity in the northern part of the country.

Represented by the minister of police affairs, Caleb Olubolade, Sambo said the conference was in tandem with today’s realities and suggested that traditional rulers be brought into the fold in addressing the security challenges.

Tambuwal on his part lamented that the prevalent socio-economic conditions have left many people unemployed, making them easy recruits for perpetration of violent political activities.

The House speaker said, “The conflicts bedeviling our different states and communities must not be approached purely from the perspective of physical security. The socio-economic and political underpinnings of the conflicts must be addressed and sustained efforts made towards genuine reconciliation.”

Similarly, the governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, who was represented by Ahmed Ibeto, the state’s deputy governor at the conference said parts of the region have become theatres and arenas of occasional bloodletting, mass pogrom and destruction of lives and property at the slightest snap.

Also speaking at the occasion, the United Nations resident coordinator in Nigeria, Daouda Toure, has expressed the commitment of the United Nations to the restoration of peace in northern Nigeria. In a related development, the House of Representatives yesterday described the proposal to remove fuel subsidy as premature.

This is just as the House adopted recommendations of its joint committee (Finance, Appropriation, Legislative Budget and Research and National Planning) on the 2012-2015 Medium Term Fiscal Framework (MTFF) presented to the House by President Goodluck Jonathan.

“The proposal on fuel subsidy as contained in the revised Fiscal Strategy Paper is premature. Sources other than relying on savings from the proposed subsidy removal, as part of financing items for expected deficits, should be explored,” the committee recommended.

The representatives said that President Goodluck Jonathan should explore other means of financing expected deficit in the 2012 budget other than relying on savings from the proposed removal of subsidy on petroleum products.