The Nigerian Chief of Army Staff has appealed for an increase in the budgetary allocation for the army.
Lieutenant General Farouk Yahaya, made the call while appearing before the Committee on Army at the House of Representatives to defend the 2023 budget proposal of the army, in Abuja, Nigeria.
He said that the envelope budgetary system has limited the army from performing its strategic duties.
He also urged the committee to look into the matter which is affecting the welfare and operation of the army across the different theaters of operations.
He appreciated the concern and support of the committee for the army in the past years.
“The Nigerian Army year 2023 budget proposal was prepared based on the need to sustain the tempo in the fight against insurgency, banditry and other security challenges.
“The Nigerian Army is implementing Nigerian Army Order of Battle 2026 in phases. This has led to the expansion of the Nigerian army from a five to an eight-division force structure.
Consequently, the Nigerian army battlefield in the center and other operational commands were established to effectively provide security for our citizens. I must state without mincing words that the expansion of the Nigerian army has continued to impact significantly on the human resources and lean finances available to the Nigerian army.” Yahaya said.
The Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya also urged the National Assembly to pass the Armed Forces of Nigeria Trust Fund Bill before the end of the 9th assembly.
General Yahaya made the call while presenting the performance of the 2022 budget and defending the 2023 budget proposal of the Nigerian army.
He said that the passage of the bill would greatly assist the Nigerian army through improved funding.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the House Committee on Army, Hon. Abdulrazaq Sa’ad Namdas; said that for the Nigerian Army, the budget means consolidating the gains recorded in tackling insecurity in its various shades and the attendant challenges.
“We are in a race against time as the House of Representatives indeed the 9th National Assembly, is committed to keeping the January-December Budget Cycle; the implication being that the budget will be passed by the Legislature within the next few weeks”
Namdas acknowledged the vision of the current COAS, which is to have a professional Nigerian Army to accomplish assigned missions within a joint environment in defence of Nigeria.
“This vision, which centers around working in full collaboration with heads of other sister agencies, no doubt contributed immensely to the recent successes recorded by our security forces in the counter-insurgency/terrorism operations, fighting banditry, kidnapping and other criminal acts that threaten our collective existence as a nation”. He said.
He urged the army to continue to make Nigeria safe for all.
“It’s a call not to slide; it’s a call not to sleep and it’s a call to re-strategies and ultimately, conquer the enemy. As we sit here and deliberate on this budget proposal, under serious tension following a security alert issued in quarters suggesting that terrorists may launch a major attack on the city. The Army must put enough boots on the ground to contain any security breaches in Abuja of the magnitude claimed by the aforementioned security alert. In doing so, the welfare of personnel should be given topmost priority and never be compromised”. He said.
The Chairman added that the committee was not unaware of the enormous challenges confronting the Army, especially the main issue of inadequate funding, saying “We are working on improving the funding amid the increasingly scarce resources available to our collective purse”
Olusola Akintonde
