Jimoh Ibrahim, the senator representing Ondo south, has urged parliaments globally to prioritise defence spending as a strategic tool to tackle rising insecurity.
Jimoh spoke on Tuesday at the 150th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) assembly held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The lawmaker, who chairs the senate committee on inter-parliamentary affairs, said the surge in insecurity across the globe is largely due to poor funding of defence ministries and the absence of strategic collaboration between governments and parliaments.
While making a presentation on “Power and insecurity,” the senator stressed the need for a shift in how parliaments engage with national security frameworks, particularly through the annual budgeting process.
Advertisement
“The central question for governments and security agencies should be security for whom, when, and how?” he said.
“Addressing power and insecurity issues alongside their ecosystems is key to the security of the geocentric system.”
Ibrahim noted that governments’ failure to effectively address poverty often worsens insecurity, cautioning that unchecked fear within leadership can lead to national crises.
Advertisement
“Life is increasingly tricky amid this struggle, yet we still maintain a defence structure,” he said.
“It is only a matter of time before one of these emotions — fear or courage — prevails. I saw fear within government leadership, leading to unprecedented crises and heightened insecurity.”
He cautioned that while parliamentary oversight of defence expenditure is critical, it must be balanced with adequate support to avoid inadvertently undermining national security.
“Parliaments must focus on building efficient systems and processes that curb fraud in security spending without stifling the operational effectiveness of defence ministries,” Ibrahim said.
Advertisement
He urged lawmakers across the world to adopt a collaborative posture in budgeting for defence, noting that such synergy is vital in addressing the root causes and consequences of global insecurity.
