Ex-minister Lists Benefits Of Zoning Senate Presidency To North-Central

Former Minister of mines and Steel Development, Abubakar Bwari, has said that if the Senate Presidency is zoned to North-Central, insecurity, poor infrastructure and other forms of economic sabotage in the region would be suppressed.

Bwari, who urged the All Progressives Congress (APC) to zone the position of the Senate President to North-Central geopolitical zone, gave the advice when he spoke with journalists in Abuja, yesterday.

He said that the zone is endowed with rich mineral resources that could serve as alternatives to oil and gas resources, if effectively explored.

The erstwhile mines and steel minister, however, lamented that bandits had stopped farmers from their farms, fishing ponds and took over mining sites, preventing access to investors.

He, therefore, expressed the hope that there would be a positive change in the region if the APC leadership and the president-elect support the aspiration of the North Central to produce the next Senate President.

Bwari said: “Following the conclusion of the presidential and National Assembly elections, two very important positions have gone to the South-West and North-East geopolitical zones.

“Other zones are now clamouring for the third most important position in the country, that is the Senate Presidency.

“If we look at performance, the North-Central did very well for the APC in the last election.

“If you consider our strategic location and performance, we should be given number three position.”

“I think our aspiration is fair and just for us to be considered. Our strategic position in balancing a lot of things in the country put the North Central in the best position to produce the presiding officer of the Senate.”

Bwari, when asked how a Senate President from the North-Central would be beneficial to the country, said the issue of insecurity would be the priority of the red chamber.

He said that the committees on Defence, National Security and Police Affairs in the Senate would be put on their toes to carry out necessary oversight functions to make sure that the military and the security agencies are alive to their responsibilities.

“The Senate President from the North Central would use his experiences and that of his constituents in the hands of bandits and terrorists to proffer practicable solutions to the menace.

“This is because legislative intervention will go a long way to support the military and other security agencies on pragmatic and practicable solution to insecurity crisis from the point of view of the direct victims,” he further said.

(Guardian)