A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Darlington Nwauju, has urged the National Assembly to take immediate action to strengthen the Ministry of Interior and its agencies, thereby addressing the country’s security challenges more effectively.

In a press statement, Nwauju emphasised that the current security architecture is inadequate and that a holistic approach is needed to tackle the menace of cross-border criminality and terrorism.

Nwauju demanded that the National Assembly review relevant sections of the Constitution to allow agencies like the Nigeria Correctional Services (NCoS) to draw funds from the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) and include NCoS in the national security budget.

He also called for an urgent review of the 2025 Appropriation for the Interior Ministry to strengthen key agencies, including Immigration Services, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and Fire Services. This, he believes, will help curb the mindless cross-border killings being perpetuated by terrorists against unarmed Nigerians.

The APC chieftain reiterated his previous call for the integration of Police Affairs into the Interior Ministry, citing the need for a coordinated
approach to internal security.

He noted that agencies such as the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Customs, and the Police should be in sync for border surveillance activities.
Nwauju believes that integrating Police Affairs into the Interior Ministry will help curb the menacing threats from cross-border terrorists who are being mistaken for bandits or herdsmen.

Nwauju stressed that security should be prioritised, citing Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which places physiological and safety needs as fundamental to human survival.

He urged the National Assembly to wake up to the reality of the security situation and take immediate action to review the 2025 Appropriation for the Interior Ministry.

With the 40 per cent digitisation of land borders achieved so far by the Interior Ministry, Nwauju believes that pushing it towards the 100 per cent threshold will greatly improve national security, but this cannot be achieved without a proper and reasonable budget.