N22bn for aircraft ammunition, N9bn for ship tank — FG allocates 15% of 2022 budget to defence, security

The federal government has allocated the sum of N5.93 trillion to critical sectors of the economy, including defence, health, education and infrastructure.

Zainab Ahmed, minister of finance, budget and national planning, during the public presentation and breakdown of the highlights of the 2022 appropriation bill last Friday, said the government prioritised defence and infrastructure sectors in the 2022 budget by allocating N2.41 trillion and N1.45 trillion to these sectors respectively, which represent N15 percent and N8.9 percent of the total budget.

She said the N2.41 trillion allocated to the defence and security sectors, includes recurrent and capital expenditure for the military, police, intelligence and para-military.

Some of the projects that will be funded with the allocation include balance payment for the procurement of 3 X JF – 17 Thunder Aircraft, support equipment and spares, including targeting pod for JF – 17, complete with aircraft arms and ammunition (N22.08bn), procurement of 30/32/35 metre hydro survey ship and landing ship tank (N9.69bn) and procurement of 3 X AW109 helicopters and part payment for procurement of 1 X AW139 helicopter (N1bn).

Others are the completion of Naval War College complex (N4.4bn) and the upgrade of the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital Ojo (N1.4bn).

The N1.45 trillion allocated for infrastructure includes provisions for works and housing, power (inclusive of power sector recovery programme provisions), transport, water resources and aviation.

For health, the minister said the sum of N820.2 billion was allocated to the sector.

The education sector was allocated N1.29 trillion making up 7.9 percent of the total budget.

This also includes N875.93bn provided for the federal ministry of education and its agencies for their recurrent and capital expenditure, N108.10 billion provided for Universal Basic Education Commission as well as N306.00 billion for transfers to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund.

“For the health sector, we made a provision of N820.2bn. This is for the federal ministry of health and its agencies, including hazard allowances for the medical personnel. We also provided N54.87bn Gavi/Immunisation funds, including counterpart funding for donor supported programmes and global fund,” she said.

“We also provided N54.05bn for transfer to basic healthcare provision fund. The BHCPF has been on statutory transfer since 2020 which means that it is on autopilot so they get the one per cent of the consolidated revenue fund.”

Ahmed also said N863 million had been designated for social development and poverty reduction programmes in the 2022 budget.