Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South) has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to place the annual budget of the Nigerian Armed Forces on First-Line Charge to eliminate bureaucratic delays in funding military operations.

Ndume, a former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, said the current envelope budgeting system had created unnecessary bottlenecks between the defence and finance ministries, hampering the effective operations of troops fighting terrorism and banditry.

He made the call, in a statement, while commending President Tinubu for approving salary increases of between 30 and 80 per cent for certain categories of military personnel, effective next month.

The salary review, which will affect about 250,000 personnel, was a welcome development that would boost the morale of the Armed Forces, Ndume said.

He said the salary increase, coming after the recent expansion of military divisions from eight to 12, showed that the president had a blueprint for tackling insecurity.

“The review of salary will go a long way in motivating our military personnel. I have been in the vanguard of better motivation for our men and officers in the military in terms of decent living wage,” he said.

Ndume, however, said improved welfare must be accompanied by the prompt provision of arms, ammunition and other logistics required by troops.

“I also want to urge Mr President to keep up his pledge on the provision of weapons and technological tools required by the Armed Forces to effectively discharge their duties,” he said.

He said placing the military budget on First-Line Charge would ensure timely access to funds and eliminate delays caused by the existing system.

“All these can be achieved seamlessly if we put their annual budget on First-Line Charge. This envelope budgeting is trapped in unnecessary bureaucracy between the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Finance. It is a big encumbrance to the effective operations of our men and officers in the war theatre,” he said.

Ndume urged Tinubu to introduce direct statutory funding for the military from the Federation Account, similar to arrangements for some government agencies.

He said such a measure would strengthen the military’s capacity to respond promptly to security threats across the country. Daily Trust)