By Princess Simon (Bureau Chief North Central, in Minna)
The people of Niger-East senatorial district have called for the resignation of Senator Mohammed Sani Musa representing them at the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly.
The constituents have accused the lawmaker of not doing enough to end security challenges bedeviling the senatorial zone for many years since he came to the federal parliament as their representative.
According to the aggrieved constituents, four Local Government Areas (LGAs), including Shiroro and Rafi in Niger-East senatorial district, have, for years, been under the control of armed bandits/Boko-Haram, whose activities have allegedly turned many of the erstwhile farmers into refugees in their own state and country.
The gun men not only killed thousands of the rural farmers, raped their wives and daughters, but took over their farmlands and illegally imposed taxes on the farmers before allowing them to harvest their crops.
The communities who now live from hand-to-mouth are however not happy with their representative at the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly, Senator Sani Musa, the state and federal government for abandoning them to the mercy of the armed bandits.
Though Senator Musa had visited the armed bandit's infested communities to sympathize with them over series of attacks, such occasional visits with accompanying sharing of food items that can hardly take them few days is not what the people expected from the parliamentarian who is fondly referred to as 'Sani 313'.
A statement signed on behalf of the Concern Citizens of Niger-East district by one Abdul Marafa and made available to journalists in Minna, said the people are eager to return to their homes because sympathy visits, sharing of food items while they remained as refugees, have not solved their problems in any way.
He maintains that only restoration of order in the troubled areas so that the people can go back to their ancestral homes and pick the bits of their lives and continue with their farming as well as feed themselves and their families, will assuage the affected people of the communities.
The statement expressed regrets that, "While several families have been wiped out, villages destroyed, countless lives displaced, and instead of leading the fight in the Senate Chamber for urgent federal government intervention by way of taking informed security action, Senator Musa has consistently remained silent".
Speaking against the backdrop of the recent bomb blast in Bassa, Shiroro Local Government, the group explained the scenario as yet another display of political theatrics that falls short of addressing the real issues plaguing Niger-East, as the embattled senator, again, toured hospital wards and offered usual financial support that only last for a while.
"The glaring question remains: what tangible efforts has Senator Sani Musa made to combat the unrelenting insecurity ravaging communities in Rafi, Shiroro and other parts of Niger-East senatorial district?"
The strongly worded statement also queried, "Where are the policies, the debates, and the pressure on security agencies or within the hallowed chamber of the upper chamber of the National Assembly to prioritize security issues in Niger-East?
"It is not enough to visit victims and commend others for their efforts. Senator Musa holds a national mandate on oath to defend the lives and properties of his constituents. However, his failure to champion this cause has left our people vulnerable and in state of hopelessness".
While the villages burn and people suffer, the Senator’s lack of urgency speaks volumes about his inability to fulfill his legislative responsibilities, adding that, "Sympathy visits and financial support will not bring peace or rebuild communities that have been torn apart armed bandits/terrorists in Niger-East".
Marafa said, "A good leader is he/she who knows what the people needs and go for it with all the attention it deserved. He or she must be able to rise above mere optics and commit to real solutions by demanding increased military presence and by holding the federal government accountable, and ensure that security agencies act decisively to end the carnage.
"Senator Musa has failed to prioritize what mattered most to his constituents hence should resign. The lives of the people he is representing (Niger-East Senatorial District) is tired of excuses and empty gestures in place of action. We demand that if the Sani 313 cannot deliver on his mandate to secure his constituents, then he has no business remaining in office". NNL.
