Senate President, Senator Ahmed Lawan, has said that criminals should be allowed to face the full wrath of the law and not enjoy any special support from any ethnic group.

He said this at his speech presented as he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from The Telegraph at the Federal Palace Hotels in Lagos on Friday.

Lawan urged all Nigerians to be united and undivided as a people so as to fight insecurity.

“Crime committed by anyone is crime. If someone from an ethnic group commits a crime he is a criminal. Is that not what he is? It doesn’t matter. The country is supposed to fight against that person. Criminals should not enjoy any support from any group even if it is from their ethnic group.

“Nigeria faces security challenges, but I feel there is certainly determination by all levels of government to fight the insecurity that we face. In some areas, we succeeded; in others, we are still working hard to succeed. What is important is for us to think to remain focused, undivided and united as a people.”

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He also said the Senate was set to pass the 2022 appropriation budget before Christmas so the executive would begin to act on it in the following year.

Declaring his love for this set of senators, he said, “As a member, I have never seen a Senate chamber that is so united, determined and focused on achieving great deeds of legislation and development for our dear nation as this. This is my fourth term in the senate. When we came in 2019, our colleagues decided to give us the opportunity to serve them; we all decided that this time around, we must work for Nigeria, together in spite of our political dispositions.

“So far, the ninth National Assembly has recorded a great deal of successes. That is not to say that we don’t have our failures. We have our failures. It is in this senate that we have been able to pass the budget before Christmas in 2020 and we are sure we would pass the budget for 2022 before Christmas, which would give the executive arm of government the opportunity to start the implementation of the budget in the first month of the New Year.

“I want to also add here that it is this Senate and National Assembly that saw the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill that was denied passage for over 20 years. This is one very important, historic and essential pillar of legislation for our country. We have passed other legislation.

“Our country is going through some challenges. Some we cannot handle through legislation. I believe as politicians at all levels of governance, complement each other, pattern and ensure that we deliver service to the people of our country.”