
By Chukwudi Obasi, Abuja
Yesterday, the House of Representatives Committee on Defence resolved to increase the Ministry of Defence’s budgetary provision to sustain the country’s success in fighting insecurity.
The Committee adopted a motion by a member, Philip Agbese, who commended the military for its efforts when the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, appeared to defend the Ministry’s budget for 2025.
This came as Matawalle said the sum of N50bn allocated for the Ministry in the 2025 budget was inadequate and appealed for an upward review.
He assured us that with adequate funding, the problem of banditry would be addressed in two months.
Agbese, who moved the motion, said, “I am moving the motion before this Committee, Mr Chairman, that we should grant explicit approval to the request that he has made. One time, we saw the Honourable Minister and the Chief of Defence Staff leading our troops to the northwest to confront the bandits.
“Initially, when we saw it on television, we thought it was the usual political engagement by our leaders just to give us photographs and videos that will appeal to the masses. But two, three weeks after that time, we saw that some of the notorious bandit leaders after that visit were killed, and some were captured by our troops, which attests to the importance of that visit.
“So the Ministry is doing well. I want to attest to that, and it is because we don’t clap here; I would have asked Mr. Chairman if we should clap for the Minister and what they are doing. So, in line with that protocol, having established that, Mr. Chairman, I want to move a motion before this parliament first to commend the Honourable Minister for what the military is doing in the northwest and across the country, particularly in Benue State.
“We used to have issues of farmers-herders crisis before now. Since he came on board in the last two years, we have not had this problem anywhere in Benue. We credit Mr. President, the capable Minister he has appointed, and the service chiefs doing the same. So I’m raising this motion to grant their request and find a way to add more support so they can do more in 2025.”
*Matawalle says N50bn allocated to Defence ministry for 2025 too small
Earlier, the Minister lamented the inadequacy of the funds provided by the Ministry in the 2025 budget proposal.
He said, “We have some challenges. One is an inadequate budgetary provision. The headquarters and civilian personnel unit are unable to meet their obligations, resulting in the accumulation of debt on services and staff entitlement.
“We have non-payment and accumulated bills for group life insurance, which is very important. The critical issues that we have are non-payment and accumulated bills of group life insurance for military personnel, which I requested from the Committee to consider maybe the sum of N20bn as additional funds for payment of families of deceased military personnel. That is one of our challenges.
“Mr Chairman, if you look at the budget of 2024, most of the barracks, the allocation we met is zero. How do we expect the military personnel to perform while their living standard is inadequate? For all the provisions we made, the allocation in 2024 is zero. And these are the people that we expect them to perform magic.
“And for us in the Ministry, we have a lot of challenges. Look at the budget for 2025, just N50 billion. We have a shortfall of N18bn from the last year’s budget, and people expect the Ministry to do wonders.
“I was in Sokoto. I went to Sokoto by myself. Nobody sponsored me to go to Sokoto. I did it to ensure people’s sleep with two eyes closed. My colleague Badaru went to Zamfara and Katsina, and it was the same thing because there was no provision in the budget.
“The Ministry of Defence is supposed to provide some equipment for some zones, but we cannot. Out of what we have in 2024, we provided just 20 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs).
“What can 20 APCs can do? In Katsina alone, if we can be able to have 50 APCs that can go inside Bush to flush out those criminals, I assure you, within two months, we’ll finish the issue of banditry. But there is no provision for that. People have complained that money is being given to defence, but this is what we have. And people expect us to do extra things that are out of the budget.
“We cannot do it Mr Chairman. So, I believe this House will consider more funding for the Ministry of Defence so that even on our own as ministers, we can provide some equipment to flush out these areas of attack.
“Insecurity is all over the country. If you go to South West, South East, North East, North Central, North West. But if you look at the budget for 2025, N50bn to the Ministry of Defence,
“Other people outside think Nigeria’s entire money is going into the Ministry of Defence. It is not like that. You know about that. We could not renovate any barracks in 2024. We have a lot of complaints. We cannot pay some of their entitlement, the military.
“They are into theatres and operations, and we cannot pay. This month, I wrote a letter to Mr President to pay even the presidential guards. The money was not there. So, Mr Chairman, I believe this Committee can look into the Ministry of Defence issue to see how you can squeeze and add more funding to the Ministry so that at least you can expect more from us.”
He, however, promised that despite the limited resources, the Ministry and its personnel are doing their best to ensure the safety of all citizens.
Chairman of the Committee Babajimi Benson said the importance of the defence sector cannot be overstated. It is the backbone of the nation’s security architecture, addressing diverse threats that challenge our peace and stability.
He said the Armed Forces of Nigeria have demonstrated remarkable commitment and professionalism over the years, achieving significant progress in countering insurgency, terrorism, banditry, and other forms of insecurity.
Yet, he said, the dynamic nature of these challenges demands continuous adaptation and innovation.
Benson said recognising this, the National Assembly has consistently prioritized the defence sector in the national budget, with increased allocations in recent years.
He said, however, that with these enhanced resources comes a heightened expectation for prudent, transparent, and impactful use.
“As representatives of the people, we must ensure that every naira is judiciously spent to strengthen the Armed Forces’ operational capacity and deliver tangible results,” he said.