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The Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi, (rtd) on Tuesday said the nation’s security forces have beefed up security within the Federal Capital Teritory (FCT), Abuja and the surrounding states following the recent Security alerts by several embassies in the country .
The Minister who stated this when he appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Defence to defend the Ministry’s 2023 budget proposal declared that there was no cause for concern based on the assurances from the Security and Intelligence Community
The Minister, while urging all and sundry to be vigilant at all the time, said there was no smoke without fire, adding that the situation was absolutely under total control of the Security Forces .
According to him, “If you remember, yesterday, the security council met and we discussed this threat and it was believed that we will not take it lightly. We tried to verify the source of the threat or the pronouncement made by the US government. We tried to identify countries that were also interested in the same remarks made by the US government and we are of the opinion that the best way to go about it is to continue and where possible beef up security in Abuja and its contiguous states, that is Nasarawa, Niger and the rest of them.
“However, we believe that there is no smoke without fire and in that regard, we were able to subject the details to our intelligence organizations and they have provided answers to those areas which the government is in doubt and we realized that what we need is to be extra vigilant to prevent any activity of the bandits, from where the threat is likely, we will be able to provide enough forces that can neutralize those kinds of situations.
“I want to assure members that the government is on top of the situation. Based on the security meeting and what we have on the ground, I think what we need is prayers from the United States, not giving us information that will make our citizens to be either confused or not being able to take appropriate action. And our Minister of Foreign Affairs is taking that up to ensure that information of such nature is brought to the notice of the ministry before disseminating to the society.
“I think we are on top of the situation. the threat is not very dire but we are not taking it lightly. We are doing all we can to ensure that peace and progress of Nigeria is maintained.”
Speaking on the 2023 appropriation, he said the sum of N32, 729, 171, 424 was proposed.
According to him, “the sum N15, 052, 063, 215 is for personnel cost. While N2, 211, 743, 819 is for overhead. The sum of N15, 465, 364, 390 is for Capital expenditure. The details being submitted for consideration is attached,” .
The Permanent Secretary, Dr Ibrahim Kana, said that the envelope system of budget was not appropriate for the Ministry. To him, “the Ministry of Defence as an omnibus ministry comprises the Headquarters and her Agencies. Which is the Armed Forces and the others. As it is now, the budget comes as a whole to the ministry under the mInister of defence. However the budget is further disaggregated into services, thereby making the Minister only responsible for the budget of the MOD headquarters. The situation is the Minister does not have direct influence on the other segments of the budget as it is now. It has its advantages and it has its disadvantages, which the Minster has been discussing with relevant authorities.
“We are operating now in an era of joint operations. Joint operations from the armed forces, from the defence academy, at the level of junior course, at the level of senior course, at the level of strategic course and of course at the field level. Therefore it only makes sense that the country operates one armed force, especially at operational level.
“And that should also be reflected at the budgetary level, which we all know would reduce wastage and also enhance the capabilities of the armed forces and also make better use of our resources especially now that we have dwindling resources in the country. So basically the view of the Ministry is that while the government has taken that option, for the Ministry it is much easier and better if the system is operated in a vertical manner to reduce duplication. That is the view of the Ministry.”
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Committee , Hon Babajimi Benson, said that as a legislature, the House had made efforts to ensure adequate resources were made available to the defence sector based on available resources.
According to him, “the 2023 budget is however, unique and important considering that it is the last for this administration. We must therefore work collectively to deliver more on the goals of this administration to drastically reduce cases of insecurity across the country. This Committee will continue to support this vision through our legislative activities. However, we shall also embark on rigorous oversight exercise to ensure that MDAs adhere strictly to the provisions of the Appropriation Act as eventually passed by the National Assembly and accented to by Mr. President.
“In the past three years, the House Committee on Defence has continued to performs its legislative duties through periodic oversight and responsive lawmaking to enhance the operations of the defence sector. For instance, we have consistently and painstakingly carried our regular oversight of all the agencies under our jurisdiction where we have made valuable observations and had robust interactions.
“Furthermore, we have used our law making powers to embark on enacting innovative legislations designed to strengthen and revolutionize the defence sector. Most of them, like the Nigerian Armed Forces Support Trust Fund (Establishment) Bill, Defence Research and Development Bureau Bill have all been passed by the House of Representatives and currently awaiting concurrence by the Senate. Several other relevant bills are at various stages in their legislative journey. This is our own constitutional responsibility and we have diligently discharged it for the smooth running of all agencies under our jurisdiction.
“For more than sixteen years, Nigeria has witnessed diverse and unprecedented level of insecurity in which the Armed Forces of Nigeria have been fully involved prompting the launch of about thirteen operations and four exercises as well as providing support for tackling several domestic security challenges. The House Committee on Defence is delighted with the successes recorded so far, especially in the last five months. We acknowledge these robust achievements which is a proof of the level of professionalism often displayed by our military in the discharge of their duties.
However, this Committee requests that the Armed Forces of Nigeria should take note of the recent security alert in Nigeria by the US government. We urge you to effectively collaborate with sister security agencies to ensure that all security threats are completely neutralised and Nigerians can live peacefully.
“Let me conclude by reiterating the 9th House of Representatives’ continued resolve to ensure a peaceful, secure and prosperous country for all Nigerians. Therefore, as we consider the 2023 budget, please note that this Committee will do our best to ensure that adequate funds are allocated to the defence sector but within the limits of available resources. However, we shall thoroughly review your performance and painstakingly scrutinise the proposals in the 2023 budget before making our conclusions. Similarly, the Committee will follow every allocation made to all agencies to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of taxpayers money. Evidently, the outcome of this exercise will significantly determine the committee’s decision in appropriating funds to your agency in the 2023 budget.”
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