The House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to direct the Minister of Finance to ensure the full release of the 2024 capital allocation to the security and intelligence sector, emphasizing its crucial role in national security.
Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Ahmed Satomi (APC, Borno), appealed during the budget defense session for agencies under the Office of the National Security Adviser.
He expressed concern over the inadequate release of funds to some intelligence agencies, noting that while the security sector received a significant allocation, the intelligence subsector remains underfunded.
Satomi assured that the committee would explore ways to boost funding for intelligence operations to strengthen national security efforts.
The budget defense session featured key agencies, including the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services, the National Intelligence Agency, and the National Cybercrimes Coordination Centre, among others.
Satomi underscored the need for a collective approach to safeguarding citizens, stressing that the committee’s oversight covers critical security institutions that must be adequately equipped to fulfill their mandates responsibly and accountably.
He commended President Tinubu for prioritizing security in the proposed 2025 budget, which allocates N4.91 trillion to the Defence and Security sector.
However, he lamented that the intelligence subsector received only N595 billion, with N274.5 billion earmarked for capital expenditure, N107.9 billion for overhead costs, and N212.5 billion for personnel expenses.
He said: “It is imperative to note that the 2025 Budget is christened the “Budget of Restoration: Securing Peace, Rebuilding Prosperity.” Securing peace presupposes that a lot of engagements with citizens will be undertaken by the government at all levels.
“Deradicalization, disarmament, rehabilitation and reintegration programs etc will have to be carried out as a major non-kinetic initiative by the Federal government of Nigeria in collaboration with other tiers of government.
“It is therefore not encouraging to observe that the frontline agencies saddled with statutory responsibilities of countering violent extremism, terrorism, ‘illicit flow of small arms and light weapons, intelligence gathering and analysis, maintenance of national security and ensuring the provision of safe, secure and efficient air transportation for the President, Vice President, and other notable government officials are negligibly funded.
“Going by the submissions before the committee, it is heartbreaking that an agency like the National Centre for Counter-Terrorism has not gotten any capital release for years 2023 and year 2024.
“The National Institute for Security Studies (NISS) and the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSSALW) are yet to receive a single kobo for their Capital projects in 2024. The Capital releases to the DSS and NIA are insufficient to motivate these agencies to work optimality to deliver on their critical mandates.
“I am therefore calling on the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR to please intervene NOT just for an increase in the allocations to the agencies in the intelligence sector but to also direct the Minister of Finance to a matter of national security, prioritize the full release of all outstanding 2024 Budget allocations to the intelligence agencies and sustain the practice of prompt releases to them going forward”.
He said the ultimate goal of the National Assembly is to enhance national security and promote the well-being of citizens, assuring that the budget allocations will align with our national security objectives.
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Permanent Secretary of Special Services in the Office of the National Security Adviser, Mohammed Sanusi Danjuma said the proposed budget is tailored towards addressing the evolving security challenges facing the nation, ensuring the effective coordination of security agencies, seamless intelligence gathering and information sharing, and other specialized services to enhance National Security.
He said the budget will enhance coordination and Collaboration by strengthening partnerships within security agencies to foster a more cohesive and responsive security architecture; enhance infrastructural development by improving existing operational facilities and equipment to support efficient service delivery and ensure capacity building and manpower development by upgrading the skills and expertise of personnel to address emerging security challenges.
He said: “It is worth noting that the envelop system of budgeting provides a lot of constraint in terms of resource allocation to the community. However, despite this challenge, the agencies try to strike a balance between their operational needs and the government’s fiscal constraints”.
He assured of the commitment of the Intelligence Community to transparency, accountability, and effective resource management by ensuring that the budgetary provisions align with the government’s overall security objectives