Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle has requested an additional N20billion for the payment of families of deceased military personnel.
Mr Matawalledisclosed this during the House of Representatives Committee on Defence at the commencement of the 2025 budget defence session in Abuja.
Representing the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, Mr Matawalle said the additional fund would be channeled towards settling accumulated bills of group life insurance for military personnel.
He said: “We have non-payment and accumulated bills of group life insurance, which is very important, Mr. Chairman, the very important issues that we have is non-payment and accumulated bills of group life insurance for military personnel, which I believe I requested the committee for consideration of maybe the sum of 20 billion as additional funds for payment of families of deceased military personnel.
“We have another issue. Mr. Chairman, if you look at the budget 2024, most of the barracks, the allocation being made is zero. How do we expect the personnel of the military to perform while their living standard is inadequate?
“All the zones, all the zones, all the provisions that we made, the allocation in 2024 is zero and these are the people that we expect them to perform magic. For us in the ministry, we have a lot of challenges.
“While we look at the budget of 2025, just 50 billion. We have a shortfall of 18 billion of the last year’s budget. And people expect the ministry to do wonders.
“The Ministry of Defense is supposed to provide some equipment for some of the zones but we cannot. Out of what we have in 2024, we can be able to provide just 20 APCs. What 20 APCs can do?
“In Katsina alone, Mr. Chairman, if we can be able to have 50 APCs that can go inside the bush to flush out those criminals, I assure you, within two months, we’ll finish the issue of banditry.
“There is no provision for that. People have been complaining. Their money being given to defense.What is there? But this is what we have. And people are expecting us to do extra things out of the budget. We cannot do it, Mr. Chairman.
“So, I believe this House will consider more funding to the Ministry of Defense, so that even within our own, as administrators, we can be able to provide some equipment to some plush areas of attacks. It is all over the country. If you go to southwest, southeast, northeast, north central, northwest.
“If you look at the budget of 2025, 50 billion to Ministry of Defense. There’s other people outside are thinking that the whole money of Nigeria is into the Ministry of Defense. It is not like that.
“We cannot be able to renovate any barracks in 2024. We have a lot of complaints.”
“We cannot be able to pay some of their entitlement, their military, their theatres, operations. We cannot be able to pay. In fact, this month, I have to write a letter to Mr. President to pay even the presidential guard.
“I believe this committee can look into the issue of the Ministry of Defense to see how you can be able to squeeze and add more funding to the Ministry, so as at least you can expect more from us. We thank you very much.
“We assure you that despite the fact that with the limited resources, the Ministry and the personnel are doing their best to ensure safety of all citizens. I thank the honorable members for listening to us. Thank you very much, sir.”
