Army’s capital budget insufficient to fight insurgency, says reps panel chairman

Muktar Betara, chairman of the house of representatives committee on appropriations, says the larger part of the army’s spending is on recurrent expenditure.

Betara spoke on Thursday while briefing journalists after the lawmakers approved the revised 2022 budget.

According to the legislator, salaries account for 80 percent of the army’s budget, while overhead and capital expenditures account for the remaining 20 percent.

The legislator said the insufficient fund for capital expenditure for the army will hamper its performance in the fight against insurgency.

“People talk that money is given to the army and the army does not do what is expected. Eighty percent of army’s budget is for salaries,” Betara said.

“Army’s overhead is just N20-something billion. Army’s capital is N37 billion while the army’s salary is N400-something billion.

“So, when you look at the budget, it will look like the army has money but it is for salaries. So, it’s the same thing now. It looks like the police salary will go up when you look at it; it is recurrent spending — salary.”

The lawmaker also said the budget of the Nigeria Police Force has been increased by N182 billion. 

In April 2021, Ali Ndume, senator representing Borno south, had said the N29 billion budgeted for the army’s capital expenditure for the year shows Nigeria is not serious about tackling insecurity.

“Go and check the Nigerian Army budget for this year that we want to review upward; it is less than N30 billion for capital and that is what they used to buy ammunition and other supplies,” the senator, who is the chairman of the senate committee on army, had said.

“It is less than N30 billion and the budget of Nigeria is more than N13 trillion. Does that show any seriousness in any way? If we do not have peace, then all these things you are talking about, of what use are they going to be?

“Go and check what Nigeria is spending on military and compare it with that of Chad that is poorer than us, or Niger (Republic). Go and see the Nigerian soldiers and the Cameroonian soldiers. Their kitting is different from our own. It is superior to our own despite the fact that they are poor — because they place priority on their security.”