Budget presentation: IGP clarifies on outing at NASS

By Musa Baba Adamu

The Inspector-General of Police, jIGP) Kayode Egbetokun yesterday, addressed the incident that occurred during the presentation of the Nigeria Police Force 2025 budget to the Joint Committees on Police Affairs and Police Institutions at the National Assembly Complex on Thursday.

It would be recalled that the clash at the National Assembly during a budget defense session between the Joint Police Affairs Committee of the upper and lower legislative chambers and the Nigeria Police Force led by the IGP.

The uproar began when the IGP alongside the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Hashimu Argungu, presented the Police Force budget details to the joint assembly.

During the presentation, a member of the House of Representatives, Mark Esset interrupted and questioned why the details being read by the police boss were not contained in the documents provided to lawmakers.

Senator Onyekachi Nwoebonyi (Ebonyi North), subsequently staged a walkout from the section.

Clearing the air, the IGP in a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, described the disruption as unnecessary and avoidable.

According to him, the document he presented was “shared with all committee members beforehand”.

The IGP explained that two versions of the budget documents were provided to the committee members, “a comprehensive copy and an abridged version”.

He noted that while both contained the same figures and facts, “the abridged version used simplified language to facilitate understanding”.

At the start of the session, the committee members unanimously agreed with a motion that the IGP should present the abridged version since they all had access to both documents.

However, distinguished Senator Onyekachi Nwoebonyi, who arrived late, began referencing the comprehensive version while the IGP presented the abridged version.

Despite explanations from other committee members about the earlier agreement and the consistency between both versions, the senator refused to listen and abruptly left the session.

The IGP described the incident as unnecessary drama that could have been avoided had the senator been receptive to the clarifications provided. The IGP reiterates that the Nigeria Police Force did not submit two different 2025 budgetary proposal documents to the joint committees at the National Assembly, contrary to the reports circulating in the news and media outlets.

The Inspector-General has also reiterated the significant challenges the NPF faces with budget allocations.

These include inadequate funding, which hampers modernization and effective service delivery, the restrictive envelope budget system, and delays in fund releases. These challenges continue to impede the Force’s ability to address its expanding and dynamic responsibilities.