Insecurity: N50bn Budgetary Allocation to Defence Sector Inadequate, Says Matawalle

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has said the sum of N50 billion allocated to the ministry in the 2025 budget was inadequate.

The minister stated this on Tuesday in Abuja when he appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Defence to defend the ministry’s 2025 budget.

He therefore appealed for an upward review, assuring that with adequate funding the problem of banditry will be addressed in two months.

Matawalle stated: “We have some challenges. One, we have 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 of group life insurance, which is very important. The very important issues that we have is non-payment and accumulated bills of group life insurance for military personnel, which I requested from the committee for consideration of maybe the sum of N20 billion 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 personnel of the military to perform while their living standard is inadequate?

“All the provisions that 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 of 2025, just N50 billion. We have a shortfall of N18 billion of 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 just 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 is no provision in the budget.

“In fact, the Ministry of Defence is supposed to provide some equipment for some of the zones, but we cannot. Out of what we have in 2024, we were be able to provide just 20 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs).

“What can 20 APCs do? In Katsina alone, if we are 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 been complaining that money is being given to defence but this is what we have. And people are expecting us to do extra things out of the budget.”

Matawalle urged the House to consider more funding to the ministry so that they would be able to provide some equipment to flush out bandits and criminals.

He wondered how the sun of N59 billion would be utilised despite the insecurity a across the country.

The minister added: “Other people outside are thinking that the whole money of Nigeria 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 be able to pay some of their entitlements, the military.

“In fact, this month, I had to write 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 issue of the Ministry of Defence to see how you can be able to squeeze and add more funding to the ministry so as at least you can expect more from us.”

Earlier, Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Babajimi Benson, said the Armed Forces of Nigeria have demonstrated remarkable commitment and professionalism, 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, promising that the committee will increase budgetary allocation to the sector.

The resolution of the Committee followed the adoption of a motion, by Hon. Philip Agbese.

He said: “I am moving the motion before this committee, Mr. Chairman, that we should grant explicit approval to the request that he has made is a fact. One time we saw the Honourable Minister and the Chief of Defence Staff leading our troops to the north-west to confront the bandits.

“Initially when we saw it on television, we thought it was the usual political engagement by our leaders to just 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, some were captured by our troops which attest to the importance of that visit.”