The House of Representatives has expressed growing concern over security threats targeting the National Assembly, including a potential terrorist attack aimed at bombing the legislative complex.

Chairman of the House Committee on Internal Security, Hon. Garba Ibrahim Muhammad, revealed this during a public hearing on Tuesday in Abuja on a bill to establish the Legislative Security Directorate.

The proposed legislation, titled “A Bill for an Act to Provide for the Establishment and Functions of the Legislative Security Directorate in the National Assembly; to Provide for the Qualification and Conditions of Service of the Sergeant-at-Arms and Other Personnel of the Directorate and for Related Matters, 2024 (HB 1632),” seeks to create a specialised internal security agency for the National Assembly.

Muhammad noted that recent intelligence reports and security incidents indicate that the National Assembly is increasingly vulnerable to criminal and terrorist activities.

He highlighted that the daily influx of visitors, lobbyists, demonstrators, and other personnel has made the legislative complex a potential target.

“The National Assembly is facing multiple security challenges, including car thefts, motorcycle thefts, vandalism, fake identity cards, and unauthorized access by visitors.”

“We have received threats from terrorists to bomb the complex and threats from protesters to lock it down. Legislators are exposed to potential harm from constituents and other individuals who gain access without formal appointments,” he said.

The lawmaker warned that inadequate security measures could disrupt legislative activities, affecting plenary sessions, budget approvals, oversight functions, and overall governance.

He stressed the need for a comprehensive security strategy integrating multiple elements to protect the legislative environment.

“This Bill is crucial because it aims to address these challenges and aligns with international best practices in parliamentary security and infrastructure,” Muhammad said.

He further urged State Houses of Assembly to adopt similar frameworks to safeguard their legislative spaces.

If passed, the Legislative Security Directorate will oversee the recruitment, training, and operations of the Sergeant-at-Arms and other security personnel responsible for protecting lawmakers, staff, visitors, and government property within the National Assembly.

The Senate is set to screen the newly appointed service chiefs nominated by President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday, as part of the government’s efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s security framework.

During Tuesday’s plenary, Senate President Godswill Akpabio read a letter from President Tinubu requesting lawmakers to give “expeditious consideration” to the appointments.

The President nominated:

General Olufemi Oluyede – Chief of Defence Staff

Major General Waheedi Shaibu – Chief of Army Staff

Rear Admiral Idi Abbas – Chief of Naval Staff

Air Vice Marshal Kennedy Aneke – Chief of Air Staff

Major General Emmanuel Undiendeye – Chief of Defence Intelligence

The request was referred to the Committee of the Whole for screening and confirmation, scheduled for Wednesday.

This announcement comes shortly after Tinubu met the new service chiefs in a closed-door meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, marking his first formal engagement with the military leadership since last Friday’s significant reshuffle.

The Presidency described the shake-up as part of the administration’s ongoing efforts to strengthen national security.

Tinubu also commended outgoing Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, and other retired officers for their patriotic service and dedication.

The President urged the new appointees to justify the confidence placed in them by fostering professionalism, vigilance, and unity within the Armed Forces.

Senator Adams Oshiomhole has urged President Bola Tinubu to issue a directive compelling the military and other paramilitary organisations to patronise locally made uniforms, saying such a move would boost job creation and revive Nigeria’s dying textile industry.

Speaking on Monday in Kaduna at the 37th Annual National Education Conference of the National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), Oshiomhole lamented the continued importation of foreign fabrics by government institutions despite the nation’s capacity to produce them locally.

“If we wear what we produce and produce what we wear, we can employ 20 million Nigerians,” he said. “That is the real meaning of putting Nigeria first.”

The conference, themed “Industry, Labour and National Development,” drew labour leaders, policymakers, and industry stakeholders from across the country.

During the event, the union renamed its five-storey headquarters in Kaduna, formerly known as the Textile Labour House, as the Adams Oshiomhole Textile Labour House in honour of the former Edo State governor, who served as the union’s Secretary-General over four decades ago.

Oshiomhole called on the president to match rhetoric with concrete action by strengthening local industries through deliberate government patronage.

“As Commander-in-Chief, the President should direct that the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force wear only uniforms produced and sewn in Nigeria,” he declared to loud applause from thousands of textile workers.

He recalled the golden era of Kaduna’s textile industry, when over 27,000 workers were employed across multiple shifts, blaming its collapse on “reckless government policies” and “unguarded trade liberalisation.”

“Those factories didn’t die of old age; they were murdered by bad policies,” he said.

“When we joined the World Trade Organization, we surrendered our right to protect our industries and jobs.”

The former Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) president praised the late Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello, for his foresight in establishing the Kaduna Textile Mills in the 1950s, a move that, according to him, gave dignity to labour and reduced dependence on imported goods.

“Our leaders then knew it made no sense to export cotton and import clothes. That vision created jobs and built communities,” Oshiomhole added.

He linked the collapse of industries to rising insecurity, unemployment, and social unrest.
“When people had jobs, nobody cared about religion. Today, with factories shut and millions idle, we have produced anger, not cotton,” he lamented.

Commending President Tinubu’s foreign exchange reforms, Oshiomhole said they had curtailed the excesses of “emergency billionaires” who profited from currency arbitrage.

“Before Tinubu, people made money without effort, just with a phone call. Now, those distortions are being corrected,” he said.

He urged workers to remain committed to the fight for decent wages and fair treatment, describing the struggle as an act of patriotism.

“Don’t ever apologise for fighting for dignity. The primary purpose of government is the welfare of citizens, not the profit of business,” he stated.

Reaffirming his loyalty to the labour movement, Oshiomhole concluded, “I remain a labour man for life. From age 18, I’ve known no other calling. I will keep fighting until Nigeria returns to the path of production, not importation.”