Last week, Senate President Bukola Saraki announced the reshuffling of heads of four standing committees in the Red Chamber.
The move which did not come as a surprise to many, witnessed the removal of the Chairman, Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Abu Ibrahim (APC, Katsina State) from a ‘juicy’ committee to that of Labour.
Although most senators would vehemently oppose the description of any committee as ‘juicy’ and give you the impression that all committees are equal, truth is: some committees are more equal than others. They enjoy some fat perks of office by virtue of the critical agencies they oversight.
For Ibrahim, his hobnobbing with the Villa and the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, cost him his position.
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Recall that the police boss has been at loggerheads with the Senate leadership for some time now and all the issues concerning the security agency referred to the committee became dead on arrival.
In what appeared to be a vote of no confidence, the Senate had in February this year rejected the ‘one-sided’ report of the committee on the security situation in Benue State.
This also explained why the Senate leadership asked the an ad-hoc committee to investigate the invasion of the National Assembly and snatching of Senate mace in April.
Speaking of mace, why hasn’t the Police prosecuted the hoodlums arrested regarding the theft of the legislative body’s symbol of authority? It is over seven months since the incident, yet the security agency is yet to arraign the suspects. Also, where are those arrested in the Offa bank robbery in Kwara State which claimed many lives?
Perhaps, the disclosure by the Commissioner of Police in charge of IG Monitoring Unit, Abu Sani, that investigation into the theft of the mace could take more than 10 years to complete is already coming to pass.
I covered the session when he appeared before the Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives and presented an interim report that the police command were trying to establish the link between the suspects in their custody and those who made away with the mace.
The Police Affairs Committee is now chaired by Tijjani Kaura, an aggrieved APC lawmaker from Zamfara State. His appointment may have been informed by the belief that he would be able to carry out proper oversight on the police without succumbing to pressure from the Villa to do its bidding. As the 2019 elections approach, Saraki is looking for someone who will have no allegiance to Aso Rock and play a spoiler against the Police when the need arises.
The reshuffling also favoured the newly sworn-in APC senator from Bauchi State, Lawal-Yahaya Gumau, who now heads the Committee on Federal Character.
Gamau, it was, who promised in the build-up to the Bauchi South Senatorial District bye-election, to ensure that Nigeria’s constitution would be amended to make President Muhammadu Buhari, president for life. I strongly believe Nigerians are too sophisticated to have such a scenario and I can say for free that this move will fall like a pack of cards just like former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s failed Third Term bid.
With three months to the 2019 General Election, attention will shift to the ad-hoc committtee constituted to investigate the alleged diversion of the funds for the Special Intervention Programme of the present administration to prosecute President Muhammadu’s reelection bid.
The ad-hoc committee, chaired by Ibrahim Gobir (APC, Sokoto) was also mandated to investigate the application of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment-Programme (SURE-P) of the immediate past administration of Goodluck Jonathan. Other members are: Shehu Sani (PRP, Kaduna), Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP, Abia), Danjuma Goje (APC, Gombe), Dino Melaye (PDP, Kogi), Matthew Urhoghide (PDP, Edo) and Gbenga Ashafa (APC, Lagos).
The motion moved by Senate Minority Leader, Biodun Olujimi (APC, Ekiti), pitted Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senators against their All Progressives Congress (APC) counterparts, further exposing how they reneged on their earlier commitments to jettison partisan politics and face issues of governance.
Attention will also shift to the Senate Committee on Gas, mandated to investigate the alleged unauthorized withdrawal of $1.05 billion by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) from the account of the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG).
Chaired by a PDP senator, Albert Bassey, the Senate President is also no longer comfortable with the Ahmad Lawan-led Ad-hoc Committee to investigate the application of $3.5 billion Petroleum Subsidy by NNPC. Recall that Lawan has never hidden his loyalty to President Buhari and his reelection bid.
It would be interesting to see how the events would play out, as more fireworks are expected as the election gathers steam.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja