The House of Representatives Committee on Defence has lamented that Nigerians are now being forced to call on the Armed Forces for intervention when faced with security challenges that should be handled by the Nigeria Police Force.
Chairman of the committee, Babajimi Benson, while speaking to journalists after a 2022 budget defence session with the Defence Space Administration, said the Armed Forces were carrying out the duties despite their limited resources.
Answering questions, Benson said, “We can win the battle; we are winning the battle, we are getting more inventories by the day. A lot of countries are supporting us. We are getting much support from as many countries as possible. They are doing very well. In Nigeria, if there is kidnapping or banditry, everyone calls the Armed Forces. Roles that are traditionally assigned to the police, our Armed Forces are the ones embarking on them. So far so good; they are doing well with the limited resources they have.”
The chairman stated that the security sector is the most critical sector in Nigeria, noting that defence and security are tied to a country’s prosperity.
Benson also noted that the DSA is the agency that is charged with providing space information to our Armed Forces. “We looked at their capital budget, we looked at their overhead and personnel. As usual, they want more because they want to do more, but the resources are scarce and limited. So, we will try as much as possible to see how we can help assist them,” he said.
According to the lawmaker, the DSA is an agency that should not be toyed with, adding that, “In other jurisdictions, the DSA chief is also a service chief. So, our committee members are all geared up to ensure that they get the necessary assistance so that they can live up to the expectations that we expect from them. We are going to do our best to try and see how we can upscale them.”
Earlier in his presentation, the Chief of Defence Space Administration, Rear Admiral Kayode Williams, noted that space technology has become one of the key drivers for the development of human society and has continued to contribute to advancements in communications, navigation, earth observation, defence and other major economic activities all around the world.
He said following its establishment, the DSA was mandated to provide space solutions and assets to support AFN and other security agencies’ operations in peace and wartime, and to provide resilient cybersecurity tools in the protection of Nigeria’ cyberspace.
“The actualisation of this mandate expectedly translates to huge capital investment, necessitating adequate funding. This brings to fore the need for annual budget projections for the Administration to enable its optimal functioning. The purpose of this brief therefore is to give a highlight of the administration’s budget proposal for the 2022 fiscal year,” he said.
Speaking on DSA’s proposal for overhead costs in 2022, Williams noted that the Administration is funded solely through annual budgetary appropriations and releases.
“However, the overhead releases to DSA have remained constant over the years despite the increase in personnel strength, infrastructure, vehicles, utilities as well as the cost of petroleum, oils and lubricants and other sundries. It is important to note that the Administration receives an annual overhead budget of N180,360,000, which is released at N15,030,000 monthly. The monthly release is often delayed, irregular and most times an average of eight months is released per annum.
“Owing to delay and incomplete release, it is often difficult for the Administration to cope with the prevailing situation. It is pertinent to note that the annual overhead requirements of the DSA are beyond its approved overhead threshold as the sum of N1,200,000,000 would be required to enable the DSA function modestly,” he said.
Williams prayed the committee to do an upward review of DSA’s budget, especially “the upward review of the DSA proposed Overhead budget of N280,360,000 to N1,200,000,000 for 2022 fiscal year; capital budget of N1,413,417,437 to N13,298,800,000 for 2022; and personnel emolument budget of N1,385,934,502.62 for the 2022 fiscal year.