AFTER initial questions arose over the extent of presidential powers to authorize international troop deployment, the Nigerian Senate on Thursday granted approval for the deployment of military troops to the embattled country of Mali.
The approval was sequel to a letter from President Goodluck Jonathan to the Senate requesting it to approve the deployment of 1,200 Nigerian troops to Mali for a peace keeping operation.
Sharpedgenews.com had reported on Wednesday that a controversy might be in the offing, following what appeared to be President Jonathan’s unilateral decision to deploy troops to Mali alongside international efforts to combat Islamic jihadists who have already overran large sections of the desert country.
According to media sources in contact with the presidency at the time, presidential spokesman Reuben Abati had stated that the president was exercising his executive powers as granted by the federal constitution to deploy troops in emergency situations, without necessarily seeking legislative approval.
However, an influential member of the senate, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba told our media sources that while it would be an illegality to deploy troops without the approval of the National Assembly, it was yet to be seen if the president will seek approval.
The president ultimately sought the approval of federal legislators in a letter dated 16th January, 2013 which was read on the floor of the senate by its president, Senator David Mark in a plenary session on Thursday.
“The deployment of Nigerian troops was in line with Security Council resolution 2085 (2012) and is necessitated by the need to combat armed and terrorist groups including Al-Quaida in the Islamic Magrb (AQIM) and their activities, as well as the proliferation of weapons, from within and outside the region with grave consequences on the security and stability in the northern parts of Mali and beyond, including Nigeria,” read the president’s statement.
“In view of the foregoing, the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is respectfully invited to exercise its powers under Section 4 (5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,1999 as amended and consent to the deployment of a contingent of 1,200 members of the armed forces to serve in the African-led force (AFRISMA) in Mali on limited combat duties.”
President Jonathan expressed regrets that Nigeria was at the moment facing what he described as “daunting security challenges”, noting that given its proximity to the Sahel region, the crisis in Mali, if not brought under control, may spill over to Nigeria and other West African countries with negative consequences on “our collective security, political stability and development efforts.
“As a responsible member of the international community and given our recent experiences with insurgency and terrorist activities especially in the northern parts of the country, I felt compelled to urgently approve the Nigerian troops”, he explained.
The senators had reconvened to consider the president’s request after they had gone into executive session to look into the issue.
The body fell short of compelling Mr. Jonathan to direct Nigerian economic policy makers to enter into agreement with the Malian authorities on what would be the country’s economic gain following the restoration of peace. An approval of the president’s request was eventually granted after extensive deliberation.
Meanwhile, Mr. Jonathan departs for Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire on Friday for an Extraordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, ahead of the full deployment of the Nigerian troops to Mali.
He will be accompanied to the meeting by the Minister of State for Defence, Erelu Olusola Obada and the Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim.
The meeting is also expected to discuss the situation in Guinea-Bissau.
President Jonathan is due back in Abuja on Saturday.