The House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence has advised the federal government to release the total capital allocation for security agencies as contained in the 2024 and 2025 budget estimates.
The Chairman, House Committee on National Security and Intelligence, Ahmed Satomi said this while addressing agencies during Monday’s 2025 budget defence by agencies under the purview of the Office of the National Security Adviser this Monday. He said it is regrettable that capital allocation to some of the intelligence agencies in 2024 has not been released, while releases to others fell below expectations.
Satomi said the release of these funds is important for the nation’s security agencies to deliver on their constitutional mandate efficiently in the 2025 fiscal year.
He said despite improved allocation to the security sector over the years, the intelligence sub-sector remains underfunded, making it challenging to achieve peak service delivery.
The committee chairman expressed concern that some intelligence agencies, such as the National Centre for Counter-Terrorism, received zero capital releases in 2023 and 2024.
At the same time, the National Institute for Security Studies and the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons did not receive funding for their capital projects in 2024.
According to Satomi, “The National Institute for Security Studies and the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons are yet to receive a single kobo for their capital projects in 2024. The capital releases to the Department of State Services and the National Intelligence Agency are insufficient to motivate these agencies to work optimally in order to deliver on their critical mandates.”
Present at the defence session were representatives of the Office Agencies at the budget def of the National Security Adviser, Directorate of State Services, National Intelligence Agency, and the Presidential Air Fleets.
Others were the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, the National Institute for Security Studies, the National Counter Terrorism Centre, and the National Cybercrimes Coordination Centre.
Satomi called on the various agencies to work together to ensure the safety of Nigerians and their properties, assuring that the committee will carry out its oversight duty in the interest of Nigerians.