The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, has called on the National Assembly to introduce special funding provisions for the Nigerian Army, warning that existing budgetary mechanisms are no longer sufficient to meet the growing operational and welfare needs of the force.
Speaking in Abuja on Thursday during an official visit by the Senate Committee on Army to the Army Headquarters, Oluyede praised the committee for its ongoing oversight and support but emphasized the limitations of the current “envelope budgeting system.”
“As we speak, the Army is still challenged in terms of operational efficiency. This year alone, we are expecting about 13,000 new personnel, but there are no corresponding resources to provide accommodation for them. We still have soldiers not being accommodated, and that number will continue to grow,” Oluyede stated.
He stressed the urgency of addressing accommodation shortages and upgrading combat readiness, especially in light of both internal and potential external security threats.
“We are not only looking at insecurity within. What if someday we are challenged from outside?” he questioned. “Please, look at how we can get special funds to provide accommodation for our soldiers. It’s very critical.”
Responding to the Army chief’s concerns, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, acknowledged the Army’s funding constraints and expressed support for exempting the Armed Forces from the envelope budgeting system to allow more flexible and responsive financing.
“The Nigerian Army and Armed Forces should be taken out of the envelope budgeting system, so they have more funds to carry out their mandate. We’ve seen the need during our oversight visits,” Yar’Adua said.
The senator revealed that the committee had recently divided into two groups to inspect Army formations across several states, including Borno, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Lagos. According to him, the visits were carried out in line with constitutional mandates and Senate rules to ensure the effective utilization of appropriated funds.
He noted that while most of the projects inspected were progressing well, with some already completed, a few raised concerns that have since been brought to the attention of Army leadership.
“We want to assure the Chief of Army Staff of our continued support and collaboration with the executive to ensure the Army is adequately funded,” Yar’Adua concluded.
He added that the committee plans to conduct another round of oversight before the end of the year to monitor the implementation of the 2025 Appropriations Act.
