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Only Nine Per Cent Of Armed Forces Budget Is Spent On Equipment – Gbajabiamila

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BREAKING: Gbajabiamila Threatens To Arrest Emefiele Over Old Naira Notes' Deadline

House of Representatives Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila has disclosed that only nine per cent of the total budgetary allocation to the Nigerian Armed Forces is spent on equipment.

Gbajabiamila spoke at a public hearing on the Armed Forces Support Trust Fund (Establishment) Bill, organised by the House Committee on Defence on Monday in Abuja.

According to the speaker, appropriation records show that about 91 per cent of the current funding of the Armed Forces is spent on recurrent overhead, salaries and welfare.

“This bill seeks to provide an injection of additional capital funding for the Armed Forces of Nigeria at a crucial time in our nation.

“I am sure many of you will wonder why the Armed Forces of Nigeria need an additional financial injection at this time.

“The fact based on appropriation records is that about 91 per cent of the current funding to the Armed Forces go on recurrent overhead, salaries and welfare, leaving only nine per cent for capital purchases.

“This reality has prompted this 9th House of Representatives to seek a way of providing funds that will be focused on the capital needs and training of our Armed Forces,’’ he said.

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Gbajabiamila said that the importance of the bill was evidenced by the dwindling resources available to the Armed Forces of Nigeria to prosecute the various security operations it was involved in.

According to him, this requires innovative ideas to raise additional funds without placing any burden on Nigerians, in support of the Nigerian military.

According to Gbajabiamila, Nigeria’s expenditure on military hardware and training in the last five years hovers between a paltry nine to 11 per cent of budgetary allocation to the Armed Forces.

He said that it was grossly incapable of empowering the military to face the security challenges in the country especially the insurgency in the North East.

Gbajabiamila said that to succeed in the fight against insecurity, the Armed Forces of Nigeria required training and more funding for modern weapons.

He said that spending on military hardware must definitely increase to support the commitment already being exhibited by the soldiers.

The speaker said the bill was a time-limited endeavour to upgrade the equipment infrastructure of the Armed Forces.

According to him, if Nigeria must develop, it needs to get its security estate right by ensuring that the military is adequately equipped and well-trained .

This requires funding which cannot be sourced solely through the annual budget provisions, he said.

According to Gbajabiamila , during war times, countries do not fund their military through regular appropriation alone as seen in the United States, United Kingdom and all Western powers who engage in extra- budgetary funding.

“Nigeria is at war against insurgency, terrorism, kidnapping and all manner of insecurity; hence the need to uplift the resources available to our armed services to enable them to procure the best tools to help win this war.

“So, what we seek to do in this bill is not new or unique to us as a nation; the solution to our security challenges requires asymmetric actions across many policy areas. This is what we have tried to do as the representatives of the people.

“The concept of a trust fund already exists for the Nigerian Police; it only makes sense to also bolster our military capability as well through this unique vehicle,’’ he said.

In his remarks, Chairman, House, House Committee on Defence, Rep. Benson Babajimi (APC-Lagos) said that the bill sought to explore alternative sources of funding for the armed forces.

He said that the need to create additional funding for the military had become apparent giving the myriad of security challenges facing the country.

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According to him, only approximately nine per cent of the annual budgetary allocation is available for capital expenditure in the military; a large chunk goes for recurrent expenditure.

The rep said that the Nigerian armed forces had continued to expand and there was the need to provide adequate weaponry and equipment to sustain the ever-increasing operations.

Babajimi said that efforts in the past to meet the required weapons to adequately combat insecurity had met brick wall due to insufficient funds.

He said that Nigeria ranked very low in terms of defence spending and that developed countries like the U. S., Russia, United Kingdom, Poland all have alternative sources of funding for defence.

According to him, Nigeria spends $2.6 billion, ranking fourth in Africa after Algeria, Morocco and South Africa which spend $9.7 billion, $4.8 billion and $3.1 billion respectively.

He said given the security challenge facing the country, the fund was aimed at ensuring robust, efficient, well-trained and equipped armed forces.

The chairman said that the house would stop at nothing to ensure that the Nigerians were safe and their property secured across the country.

Dr Charles Omole, the Special Assistant to the Speaker on National Security and Intelligence, said that the bill was not placing extra responsibility on the citizens or taxes on businesses in the country.

He explained that the revenue for the fund would be sourced from statutory deductions as well as voluntary donations from individuals or organisations.

According to Omole, the bill expressly states that the funds will only be spent on equipment and special trainings for military personnel.

 

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BREAKING: UK Prison Frees Ekweremadu’s Wife

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Mrs Beatrice Ekweremadu

Reprieve has come for the wife of a former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu as she has been freed from the United Kingdom’s prison.

It was learnt that Mrs Beatrice Ekweremadu who was sentenced to five years in UK prison, returned to the country on Tuesday.

READ ALSO: Relief As Court Vacates Order For Interim Forfeiture Of Ekweremadu’s Properties

Mrs Ekweremadu and her husband were jailed in the United Kingdom after being found guilty in a case of human trafficking in an attempt to harvest an organ of the victim to treat their sick daughter.

 

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Olaopa Seeks Support For Education At Fundraising For Olivet Baptist High School

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Prof. Tunji Olaopa

The Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, Prof. Tunji Olaopa, has urged support for education as government alone cannot meet the challenges of the sector.

Olaopa made the appeal in Abuja on Thursday in an address as the Chairman of the 80th Fundraising Dinner for the Olivet Baptist High School, Oyo.

While noting that the school was in need of support for development, he acknowledged that the entire educational sector in the country was faced with the same fate.

He said: “To have been established in 1945 and to still retain some measure of its old glory, given what the lamentable fate of public schools in Nigeria, is no mean feat. In another breath, that the generations of we old students, that are here today, are alive to witness this momentous celebration of a school that has so greatly impacted our formative years and all we have become in life calls for reflection. A reflection on the clear fact that if Olivet had impacted us so profoundly, is it not evident that the school now needs us to give back to it, in measure that will impact at this its trying time, in a manner of speaking? And Olivet is not alone in this challenged state, as restoring the glory of the old famous schools nationwide including the more recent, the Unity Schools of FG Colleges and states’ model schools is now the concern of all stakeholders and policy makers. ”

According to Olaopa, public schools and indeed public education institutions are not just challenged, “they are failing on every education achievement parameter: content/curriculum and pedagogy; infrastructure/technology for learning and for school administration; funding and sustainability; quality assurance; teacher professionalism and teacher education; certification, relevance and employability. Indeed, a huge chunk of teachers in these schools are provided and sustained by PTAs, and government is making effort to formalise the recruitment of those who are qualified by government standard within the limit of availability.

” It is unhelpful to therefore keep heaping blame on governments. What the times and tides require is for all hands to be on deck, even as the need for policy innovation and creativity on the side of government cannot be overemphasized.”

While commending the Dr. Wale Okediran-led leadership for mobilizing the different sets and chapters to rise up to the task of lifting Olivet to greater heights, he urged those present at the event including guests, well-wishers and old students to donate gtenerously to the 80th anniversary fundraising.

” I can assure you that every kobo contributed will be justifiably and accountably utilised towards restoring the glory of OBHS, Oyo”, he added.

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CUPP Tells Nigerians To Reject APC In 2027 Over Unchecked Insecurity

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President Bola Tinubu

The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), the main opposition group in Nigeria, has criticized the Federal Government for its perceived failure in addressing the country’s security challenges.

This condemnation follows the recent massacre of 40 farmers in Borno State by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) on January 12th.

In a press release signed by CUPP’s spokesperson, Comrade Mark Adebayo, the opposition coalition described the incident as a tragic example of the government’s inability to protect its citizens.

CUPP highlighted the escalating insecurity across various states in Nigeria, with thousands of lives lost and millions displaced due to terrorist attacks and kidnappings.

The coalition accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of neglecting its duty to safeguard the nation’s security, despite significant investments in counter-terrorism efforts.

The statement called for a radical overhaul of Nigeria’s security architecture, emphasizing the need for a government that can effectively combat insecurity.

CUPP urged Nigerians to reject the APC in the 2027 elections, warning of dire consequences if the current administration remained in power beyond that year.

Comrade Mark Adebayo, the National Spokesperson for CUPP, expressed condolences to the families of the victims and called for a decisive action to restore peace and stability in the country.

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