Legislators decry low security budgets, seek more funding for Nigerian Army

*If we are to prosecute this war and we are serious about it, we are to do more funding than the Army… even bandits have more budget than the Nigerian Army the way things are happening ─Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas, Chairman of House of Reps Committee on Army

Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect

Against the backdrop of the current security challenges the country is facing on all fronts, the Nigerian lawmakers have decried the overstretched security architecture and low budgetary allocations to the armed forces as factors hindering the fight against terrorism and related security challenges.

Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas, Chairman of House of Representatives Committee on Army, has urged the Federal Government to increase the funding for the Nigerian Army.

The Federal lawmaker stated this Friday, November 13 during a visit to Senator Douye Diri, Governor of Bayelsa State at the Government House, in Yenagoa, the state capital.

Namdas declared that the bandits have more budget when compared to the Army.

Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas

According to the legislator, the Army is overstretched and the low budgetary allocations are not helping to boost the fight against terrorism and other security challenges in the country.

He said: “I can tell you on record that the appropriation we have been doing at the National Assembly is really too low for the Army.

“In 2020 budget, only N34 billion was meant for the capital component. Remember out of this N34 billion, only 50 percent was implemented meaning only N17 billion was made available to the Nigerian Army for capital.

“That is to say N17 billion needed to procure arms, new vehicles, to build infrastructure, build barracks.”

The lawmaker stated: “In fact, even bandits have more budget than the Nigerian Army the way things are happening.

“If we are to prosecute this war and we are serious about it, we are to do more funding than the Army.”

Earlier in the past week, Sen. Ali Ndume, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, had called for an improved budgetary allocation to the Nigerian Army.

Ndume, who stated this when he visited the 8th Division Nigeria Army Headquarters Sokoto, November 4 said: “If you check the budget, what they have this year is about N120billion which is grossly inadequate at the time of war.”

“You can’t be in a state of war and you are budgeting less than one percent for the capital of the Nigerian Army.

“It is from that money they are supposed to go to their barracks, buy arms, repair their ammunition. It doesn’t just add up.”

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