Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The House of Representatives has endorsed the military’s operation positive identification, after calling for its suspension.
The lower legislative chamber approved the exercise yesterday as recommended by its committee on the army.
It however asked other internal security agencies to “take the lead” in the identification process.
The military had said the operation – a measure to tackle banditry and crime – would require Nigerians in most parts of the country to provide proof of identity. It will take place across the country between November 1 and December 23, 2019.
Owing to the outrage over the operation, the house of representatives had asked the military to suspend it pending investigation by its committee on the army.
Most of the lawmakers who spoke on the matter had at the time kicked against the exercise.
But while considering the report of the committee at Thursday’s plenary session, the lawmakers said the military can now carry on with the exercise.
The report was presented by the Chairman, House Committee on Army, Rep. Abdulrazak Namdas (APC-Adamawa) at the Committee of the Whole on Thursday in Abuja.
Namdas recalled that the committee was mandated on November 13, to interface with the army on the implementation of OPI following the public out cry that trailed the announcement of the initiative.
He said that the army explained that the operation had begun in the North East which led to the arrests of commanders and Boko Haram insurgents in the zone.
Namdas said that the army further explained that based on intelligence, terrorists were fleeing into other zones to escape the bombardment in the North East, hence the need to extend the operation to other parts of the county.
The house recommended that the army can continue with the operation but should be done in collaboration with other relevant security agencies such as the Nigerian Immigration Service, the Police and other stakeholders.
The green chamber approved that a Joint Intelligence and Monitoring Team should be set up by the agencies involved.
The house said that the team would checkmate possible abuse of the exercise, such as extortion and assault on the people.
The lower chambers said that the army should regularly brief the committee for proper assessment of the exercise.
The lawmakers recommended that the army should disengage from the areas they have successfully completed operations and allow the police to consolidate on the gains.
The parliament also said serious and urgent attention should be given to the police in the area of training and retraining so as to equip them to curtail future insurrection or violence that may occur.
Tukur Buratai, chief of army staff, had told the committee that President Muhammadu Buhari approved the military exercise.
The House has also charged the Federal Government to expedite action on the planned resuscitation of the coal industry.
The House said the coal industry, if resuscitated, will boost the efforts of the Federal Government to diversify the country’s economy.
Consequently, it directed the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE) and the Ministry of Steel Development to investigate the issuance of licenses in coal mining blocks to investors, so as to ascertain, why they are yet to commence mining of the blocs, allocated to them.
The House said , if need be, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the allotees should be reviewed and the coal mining blocs re-issued to more competent investors.
Also, the Green chamber mandated its Committee on Mines and Steel to embark on a fact finding visit to Enugu coal mining sites and other coal mining sites across the country and report back to the House for further legislative actions.