The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has said that the N50.44bn total allocation to the Ministry of Defence in the 2025 budget proposal is insufficient to address the security needs of the nation.

This is as the minister sought the support of the House of Representatives Committee on Defence to approve an additional N20bn to enable the ministry to compensate the families of deceased military personnel who lost their lives in active service.

The Federal Government allocated N50.44bn to the ministry in the 2025 budget proposal made up of N31. 81b personnel, N4.90bn overhead and N13.73bn capital expenditures.

Addressing the committee at the National Assembly Complex during the budget defence session on Tuesday, Matawalle who stood in for the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, called for the prioritisation of the welfare of military personnel to enable them to give their best.

He said, ?We have non-payment and accumulated bills of group life insurance, which is very important. We have the non-payment and accumulated bills of group life insurance for military personnel which we have requested the committee for consideration.

?We need the sum of N20bn as an additional fund for payment of families of deceased military personnel.?

He also called attention to the conditions of military barracks across the country, saying, ?If you look at the budget of 2024, most of the barracks, the allocation made was zero. How do we expect the personnel of the military to perform while their living standard is inadequate?

?All the proposals we made, the allocation in 2024 was zero and these are the people that we expect to perform magic. For us in the ministry, we have a lot of challenges.

?While we look at the budget of 2025, it is just N50bn. We have a shortfall of N18bn from the last year?s budget. And people expect the ministry to do wonders.

?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 can only provide 20 Armoured Personnel Carriers. What 20 APCs can do? In Katsina alone, if we have 50 APCs, we can go inside the bush to flush out those criminals,? he said, adding ?Within two months, we?ll finish the issue of banditry.?

Continuing, the former Zamfara State Governor said, ?We cannot pay entitlements of those in the theatres of operations. In fact, this month, I had to write a letter to Mr President to pay even the presidential guard.

?I believe this committee can look into the issue of the Ministry of Defence to see how they can squeeze out additional funding for the Ministry.?

In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Babajimi Benson, reaffirmed the National Assembly?s commitment to ensuring effective resource allocation to empower the nation?s defence sector.

?This exercise remains a cornerstone of our legislative responsibility, ensuring the efficient allocation of resources to bolster national security,? he stated, adding that the legislature has prioritised increased funding for the defence sector in recent years.

Benson who represents Ikorodu Federal Constituency, Lagos State stressed the importance of fiscal transparency and accountability in the use of allocated funds.

?With these enhanced resources comes a heightened expectation for prudent, transparent, and impactful utilisation. Every naira must be judiciously spent to strengthen the operational capacity of the Armed Forces and deliver tangible results,? he said.

The budget defence session, according to the Lagos lawmaker, comes at a time when Nigeria is facing evolving security threats that demand heightened vigilance and inter-agency collaboration.

He urged defence agencies to adopt strategic initiatives focused on measurable outcomes, operational efficiency, and the integration of modern technologies. (The PUNCH)

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