By Christiana Ekpa
The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar on Wednesday, expressed confidence that the Nigeria through the proactive efforts of the security agencies is winning the war against insecurity.
The Minister stated this during the 2024 budget defence held at the instance of the joint Senate and House Committee on Defence, co-chaired by Senator Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan and Hon. Babajimi Benson.
In the bid to achieve the feat, he underscored the need for provision of additional funds for the prosecution of various operations, adding that the sum of N78,581,164,993 was to ensure sustained and simultaneous operations.
“Our aim is to have simultaneous operations in all our theatres. So that all of them would work so we would try as much as possible to end the insecurity at once instead of fighting it in one centre, and the bandits or the insurgents are moving to the other centre,”
This, he said, was the intent of the supplementary budget for the Ministry, and he assured the expenditure would be tracked.
“I am sure that we would track expenditure and make sure money being appropriated are utilized fully and we would account as appropriate,” he said
“The Ministry is totally committed to actualizing its core mandate. We seek the support of members of the House and the Senate. I appeal to the National Assembly to review upwards the Ministries overhead cost in view of the prevailing economic situation to help the Ministry function effectively. So the overhead is very low and we call for support.
“On the issue of the progress and if war would end, I suggest that discussion we have in a closed-door meeting with joint committees where we will have all the services and operation theatres commanders.
“We would talk in a closed-door meeting and talk extensively on the operational areas and what we are doing, what we envisage would happen, but we believe we can end the war against insecurity. But we need to discuss this in a closed-door session and with all the services and the CDS and some of the operational theatres here, where you would ask questions and be satisfied with what we are doing currently. We will explain to you in detail what is happening across the theatres of operation.”
He also expressed appreciation to the National Assembly for passing the DICON in order to facilitate the establishment of a local company that would be commissioned soon and employ about 1,500 Nigerians to be producing items for the military.
