Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has told lawmakers that the proposed N50 billion budget for the ministry in 2025 is grossly inadequate to address the country’s security challenges.

He noted that the current security situation in Nigeria requires more funding and a more comprehensive approach.

This comes as the House of Representatives Committee on Defence resolved to increase the budgetary provision for the Ministry of Defence to sustain the successes being recorded in the fight against insecurity in the country.

The committee made the decision following the adoption of a motion by a member, Philip Agbese, who commended the military for their efforts.

Matawalle stated this on Tuesday when he appeared before the committee to defend his ministry’s budget for 2025.

Matawalle said the sum of N50 billion allocated for the ministry in the 2025 budget was inadequate and appealed for an upward review.

He assured that with adequate funding, the problem of banditry would be addressed in two months.

He said, “We have some challenges. One, we have inadequate budgetary provision. The headquarters and civilian personnel unit are unable to meet their obligations, resulting in the accumulation of debt on services and staff entitlements.

“We have non-payment and accumulated bills for group life insurance, which is very important. The very important issue that we have is non-payment and accumulated bills for group life insurance for military personnel, which I requested from the committee for consideration of maybe the sum of 20 billion as additional funds for payment to the families of deceased military personnel. That is one of our challenges.

“Mr. Chairman, if you look at the budget for 2024, most of the barracks allocations we met are zero. How do we expect the personnel of the military to perform while their living standards are inadequate? All the provisions we made, the allocation in 2024 is zero. And these are the people we expect to perform miracles.

“And for us in the ministry, we have a lot of challenges. Look at the budget for 2025—just N50 billion. We have a shortfall of N18 billion from last year’s budget, and people expect the ministry to do wonders.

“I was in Sokoto. I went to Sokoto by myself. Nobody sponsored me to go to Sokoto. I did it just to ensure people sleep with two eyes closed. My colleague Badaru went to Zamfara and Katsina, and it was the same thing because there is no provision in the budget.

“In fact, the Ministry of Defence is supposed to provide some equipment for some of the zones, but we cannot. Out of what we have in 2024, we were able to provide just 20 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs).

“What can 20 APCs do? In Katsina alone, if we can have 50 APCs that can go into the bush to flush out those criminals, I assure you, within two months, we’ll resolve the issue of banditry. But there is no provision for that. People have been complaining that money is being given to defence, but this is what we have. And people are expecting us to do extraordinary things with the budget.

“We cannot do it, Mr. Chairman. So, I believe this House will consider more funding for the Ministry of Defence, so that even as ministers, we can provide some equipment to flush out these areas of attacks.

“Insecurity is all over the country. If you go to the South West, South East, North East, North Central, North West. But if you look at the budget for 2025, N50 billion to the Ministry of Defence…

“Other people outside are thinking that the whole money of Nigeria is going into the Ministry of Defence. It is not like that. You know about that. We could not renovate any barracks in 2024. We have a lot of complaints. We could not pay some of their entitlements, the military.

“They are in theatres, operations, and we cannot pay. In fact, this month, I had to write a letter to Mr. President to pay even the presidential guards. The money was not there. So, Mr. Chairman, I believe this committee can look into the issue of the Ministry of Defence to see how you can squeeze and add more funding to the ministry so that at least you can expect more from us.”

He, however, promised that despite the limited resources, the ministry and the personnel are doing their best to ensure the safety of all citizens.

Agbese, who moved the motion on increasing the ministry’s budget, said, “I am moving the motion before this committee, Mr. Chairman, that we should grant explicit approval to the request he has made.

The fact that we saw the Honourable Minister and the Chief of Defence Staff leading our troops to the Northwest to confront the bandits is a testament to their commitment.

“Initially, when we saw it on television, we thought it was the usual political engagement by our leaders to give us photographs and videos that would appeal to the masses. But two or three weeks after that time, we saw that some of the notorious bandit leaders were killed, and some were captured by our troops, which attests to the importance of that visit.

“So the ministry is really doing well. I want to attest to that, and if we could clap here, I would have asked Mr. Chairman to clap for the minister and what they are doing. So in line with that protocol, having established that, Mr. Chairman, I want to move a motion before this parliament to commend the Honourable Minister for what the military is doing in the northwest and across the country, particularly in Benue State.

“We used to have issues with the farmers-herders crisis. Since he came on board in the last two years, we have not had this problem anywhere in Benue. We give credit to Mr. President and the capable Minister that he has appointed and what the service chiefs are doing. So I’m rising to move this motion that we should grant their request and find a way to add more support so that they can do more in 2025,” he said.

Chairman of the Committee, Rep Babajimi Benson, said the importance of the defence sector cannot be overstated as it is the backbone of the nation’s security architecture, tasked with addressing diverse threats that challenge peace and stability.

He said over the years, the Armed Forces of Nigeria have demonstrated remarkable commitment and professionalism, achieving significant progress in countering insurgency, terrorism, banditry, and other forms of insecurity.

Yet, he said, the dynamic nature of these challenges demands continuous adaptation and innovation.

Benson said recognising this, the National Assembly has consistently prioritised the defence sector in the national budget, with increased allocations in recent years.

He said, however, with these enhanced resources comes a heightened expectation for prudent, transparent, and impactful utilization.

“As representatives of the people, it is our duty to ensure that every naira is judiciously spent to strengthen the operational capacity of the Armed Forces and deliver tangible results,” he said.