BANDITS HAVE MORE BUDGET THAN THE NIGERIAN ARMY - REPS ASK FG FOR IMPROVED FUNDING
The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Army, Abdulrazak Namdas, has appealed to the Federal Government to increase the funding for the Nigerian Army.
Namdas lamented that bandits have more budgetary allocations compared to the Nigerian Army.
While speaking during a visit to Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, on Friday, November 13, Namdas said the Army is overstretched and the allocated funds are not enhancing the fight against terrorism and other security threats in the country.
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The lawmaker 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 34 billion was meant for the capital component. Remember out of this 34 billion, only 50 per cent 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. 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.”
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, Ali Ndume, on November 4, had earlier called for an improved budgetary allocation for the Nigerian Army.
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Ndume, during a visit to the 8th Division Nigerian Army Headquarters in Sokoto, said the fund allocated for security is relatively low considering the security challenges in Nigeria.
He 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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