The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila said on Monday that the current level of insecurity in the country amounts to a state of way.
Such a state of hostility has therefore made it imperative for the government to provide additional funding for the nation’s armed forces, he said.
Nigeria is currently fighting insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, and even separatist movements calling for a breakup of the country. The insurgency that started in the northeast has spread to other parts of the country.
This, with the twin evils of kidnapping and banditry, has made life unsafe in the country. Armed gangs now roam the highways, forests farmlands, neighborhoods, and even schools, kidnapping people and demanding ransom.
Gbajabiamila declared that in times of war, no country will depend on annual budgeting to fund its armed forces. The current war on insurgency, kidnapping, and banditry has made the provision of additional funds for the armed forces imperative.
He spoke at the start a public hearing on a bill to establish a special trust fund for the Armed Forces.
“It is a historic fact that countries during war times do not fund their military through regular appropriation alone. From the USA, to the United Kingdom and all Western powers; their military was funded through extra-budgetary means during periods of war.
“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 procures 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. In this Bill; the Board of the Trust Fund is full of eminent Nigerians from all walks of life; this should give confidence to all of the depth of knowledge and experience that will be available to manage this fund. The National Assembly will equally play its part in over sighting this work of this Trust Fund.”
He noted however that the lower chamber of the National Assembly was aware of the fact that the war against terror would not be won solely by military power.
Based on this, he announced the House is planning a five-day special summit on national security to take an All-Nation and All-Government approach by examining extensively non-military solutions to our insecurity, including challenges with food security, environmental changes, economic development, criminal justice reform and other non-kinetic engagements.
“Even with this extensive and wider examination of our security challenges; we cannot exclude the need for and benefit of a well-equipped and better-trained military in the fight against all forms of insecurity,” the Speaker noted.
