‘Bandits Have More Budget Than Nigerian Army’: Reps Asks FG For More Funding

The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Army, Abdulrazak Namdas, has asked the Federal to increase the funding for the Nigerian Army.

Namdas made this call on Friday during a visit to Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri at the Government House in Yenagoa, adding that bandits have more budget when compared to the Army.

He also lamented that the Army is overstretched and the low budgetary allocations are not helping to boost the fight against terrorism and other security challenges in the country.

“I can tell you on record that the appropriation we have been doing at the National Assembly is really too low for the Army,” he said.

“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.”

Namdas’ remarks come a week after the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, Ali Ndume, called for an improved budgetary allocation to the Nigerian Army.

Ndume who visited the 8th Division Nigeria Army Headquarters Sokoto on November 4 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 ammunitions. It doesn’t just add up.”