The Federal House of Representatives Joint Committees on Defence, Navy, Army, Foreign Affairs and National Security on Thursday held a closed-door session with security chiefs and the minister of foreign affairs over the deployment of Nigerian soldiers to troubled West African neighbor, Mali.
Bashir Adamu, chairman of House Committee on Defence, explained that the meeting was convened to discuss the way forward for the country.
“When the deployment to Mali started, we had a joint meeting in the National Assembly on the implication from a diplomatic angle,” he said.
“Nigeria has always been the Big brother in Africa and Nigeria has waded into this without thinking of the implication; we want to be sure that what we are doing is the right thing.”
Nnena Elendu-Ukeje, chairperson of House Committee on Foreign Affairs stressed the need to consider the backflow of the arms and ammunitions after the war.
Similarly, Elendu-Ukeje emphasised the need to look critically at what the displacement of the rebels from Mali portends to the country in terms of vulnerability of Nigeria’s interests across the world as well as the possibility of the evacuation of Nigerians in Mali should the violence escalate.
“After Benghazi, we need to ask ourselves: are our missions sitting ducks?” she queried. “The funding for the operation, does it cover the missions? And we have to talk of the proliferation of small arms. Then what do we do about the backflow of arms after the war; and what about the evacuation of our people if the situation gets more volatile?”
In his remarks, Olugbenga Ashiru, the minister of foreign affairs, noted that the development in Mali has grave national implications for Nigeria.
Ashiru recalled that terrorism first reared its head in Mali, adding that it was when the African continent was considering a full-fledged democracy in Mali that a group of soldiers seized power.
He noted that the military junta approached Nigeria for support and endorsement, but that the Federal Government declined, adding that the intervention of Nigeria in the Maili crisis has reinforced Nigeria’s leadership role on the continent.
“A number of countries in Africa looked up to Nigeria to take the lead in the campaign,” he said, adding, “And I am happy that Nigeria is leading
