With N800 Billion Extra Budget, No Excuse For Nigerian Military, says Ndume

With N800 billion proposed as supplementary budget for defence, the military has no excuse not to decisively prosecute the war against insurgency and rid the country of all forms of criminality, Senate Committee on Army Chairman Ali Ndume said yesterday.

The N800 billion request is to support the military in its war against Boko Haram in the Northeast.

In a statement to mark this year’s Democracy Day, Ndume said: “On the issue of insecurity, I have been advocating an increase in the military funding but that has now been done by the recent submission of the supplementary budget of over N800 billion by the executive arm of government to the National Assembly, majority of the money is meant to address the security challenges in the country. This is a commendable effort by President Buhari.

“With this now, there is light at the end of the tunnel because if the materials and necessary military hardware and equipment are immediately purchased, and handed over to the military, I am sure that the Nigerian Army who are known for their gallantry in international assignments will be able to do more to defend the internal security challenges confronting Nigeria.”

The All Progressives Congress (APC) senator (Borno South), commended Buhari on his Democracy Day broadcast, saying Nigerians had been eager and worried over his continued silence on critical national issues in recent times.

He congratulated Nigerians on the commemoration of the June 12 Democracy Day, and urged the President to continue to update Nigerians on issues of national importance on quarterly basis.

-TheNation