The Clerk Security of the House of Representatives, Dr. Yahaya Danzaria, has charged clerks of committees in the house to develop structures that will support the parliament to deal with insecurity in the country.
Danzaria gave the charge at the opening of a two-day workshop for committee clerks, organised in collaboration with Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Abuja.
The theme of the workshop was ‘Security sector governance: Promoting collaboration among clerks of security related committees.’
He harped on the need for relevant committees of the parliament to synergise to support the parliament to achieve its agenda on security.
Danzaria said there was a need for the clerks to become systemic and structural drivers of conflict resolution across the country.
“The most fundamental responsibility of any government is hinged on providing citizens with human security.
Pursuant to the provision of Section 14(2) (b) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of Government.
“The importance of parliamentary involvement in the security sector is simple yet profound, the parliament being a congregation of representatives of the common man and saddled with the responsibility of making laws for the purpose of the persons it represents.
“It is paramount that the parliament does all it can to ensure that the interests of the persons it represents are truly safeguarded,” he said.
He said that the purpose of the workshop was to encourage discourse on best possible practices for building parliamentary capacity in security sector governance and collaboration among clerks.
According to him, the very crucial endeavour is necessary for ensuring effective oversight, transparency, and accountability for management of the country’s security forces as well as improving the quality of decision making across board.
“In order to encourage all relevant stakeholders to focus on the imminent critical issues, all efforts at this workshop shall be geared towards forging new relationships, exchanging ideas and harnessing the wealth of collective wisdom present in this room.
“As we embark on this journey together, I urge us to embrace the spirit of collaboration as we explore the line up of insightful discussions and seize this great opportunity to delve into the systemic and structural drivers of conflict in our society and seek out measures to resolve them,” he said.
