2023 Budget Defence: Reps want better welfare for army, demand probe of security alert

•As COAS seeks passage of Armed Forces Fund bill

By Christiana Ekpa

The House of Representatives, Tuesday stressed that the welfare of personnel of the Nigerian Army should be given topmost priority and never compromised, to enable the army to tackle the nation’s security challenges effectively.

Chairman of the House committee on army, Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas who disclosed this at a budget defence session with the chief of army staff stated that the committee is aware of the challenges confronting the army, especially the issue of funding.

Calling on the army to investigate the security alert by some foreign embassies, Namdas said “As we sit here and deliberate on this budget proposals, Abuja is under serious tension following a security alert issued in certain quarters suggesting that terrorists may launch a major attack on the city. Recall that in response to this alert, some foreign embassies had ordered the evacuation of their nationals from Abuja. This is a matter that our security forces must thoroughly investigate. The Army must put enough boots on the ground to contain any security breaches in Abuja in 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 in recent years, the legislature has worked to improve and sustain the budgetary provision of the army from N463 billion naira in 2020 to N509 billion naira in 2021 and N589 billion in 2022, adding that the 2023 budget proposal of the Nigerian Army, now under consideration is about 600 billion, urging for judicious application of the provision.

“As aptly captured by Mr President when he presented the estimates of N20.5trillion to a joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives last month, it is a ‘Budget of Fiscal Consolidation and Transition.’ It targets to cap the achievements of the administration so far in the provision of critical infrastructure, fighting insecurity/insurgency, improving on the economy, providing social welfare to the most vulnerable population and addressing the increasing threats posed to sustainable development by sleaze”.

He said for the Nigerian Army, “It means consolidating the gains recorded in tackling insecurity in its various shades and the attendant challenges. 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”

The chairman commended 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”, adding that the vision centres around working in full collaboration with heads of other sister security 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.