Food Security: Reps Summon Defence Chiefs Over ‘Ungoverned Spaces’
The House of Representatives Committee on Defence will meet with the Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru, and the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Christopher Musa, on Monday, July 23, 2024, to discuss the military’s strategy for addressing ‘ungoverned spaces’ occupied by criminals. The directive for this initiative came from President Bola Tinubu as part of measures to enhance food security in the country.
Committee Chairman Babajimi Benson, who briefed journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, emphasized the importance of securing these areas to ensure food security, which in turn, he believes, will reduce insecurity. Benson stated, “If there is food security, insecurity will go down. So, the army should take possession of their land. Let’s say they have one million hectares somewhere, there is not going to be insecurity in that area because it is going to be manned by the military.”
Benson, who represents Ikorodu Federal Constituency in Lagos State, noted that he had received reports from military sources indicating the existence of numerous ungoverned spaces lacking any government presence. He expressed optimism that addressing these areas could be a significant step forward for Nigeria’s development. “It now behooves the people to be wise in choosing people that administer them because if you do that, this is a game changer in my opinion. I think it is a game changer that can be catalytic for Nigeria’s development,” he said.
He also praised President Tinubu for championing local government autonomy, stating that empowering local governments would help tackle insecurity at the grassroots level. “Financial autonomy granted to local governments would spur development and close ungoverned spaces which induced insecurity. I give super kudos to the President of Nigeria for ensuring that there is local government autonomy because security starts from the grassroots,” Benson remarked.
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In addition to security concerns, Benson addressed business practices in Nigeria, urging the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to halt unfair practices against local businesses like Air Peace and Dangote Refinery. He cited instances where foreign companies allegedly engaged in predatory pricing to undermine Nigerian enterprises. Benson said, “It will be very unfair if there are conspiracies by foreign companies to undermine Nigerian companies. What we frowned on is these companies coming together to offer predatory prices that are below the market rates in order to edge out Nigerian own enterprises.”
He called for vigilance and proactive measures from the FCCPC to ensure fair competition and prevent foreign companies from stifling Nigerian businesses. Benson highlighted the need for investigations to uncover any coordinated efforts to undermine local enterprises and protect the interests of Nigerian companies in the global market.
