Security needs change, not more money
To underscore its concern over the worrisome state of insecurity in the country, the Senate, at a recent closed door meeting with the heads of the various security agencies in the country asked the latter to present a formal request for special funding. According to Senate President Bukola Saraki, the special funding would enable the […]
To underscore its concern over the worrisome state of insecurity in the country, the Senate, at a recent closed door meeting with the heads of the various security agencies in the country asked the latter to present a formal request for special funding. According to Senate President Bukola Saraki, the special funding would enable the agencies tackle the spate of killings, kidnapping, farmer/herders clashes and terrorism across the country. At the closed door session were Chief of Defence Staff General Abayomi Olonisakin; Director-General of Department of State Services Lawan Daura as well as representatives of the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Inspector-General of Police and the Comptroller-General of Customs.
A major concern of the session was the proliferation of small arms and spate of killings and kidnappings by hoodlums across the country as the meeting was intended to deliberate on an earlier motion “Proliferation of dangerous firearms in Nigeria”, which was sponsored by Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi [APC, Kaduna]. Coming just days after the long delayed passage of the 2018 Federal budget, the development raises questions over its propriety not only in its timing but also its intent as well as scope given that the Senate is virtually giving the security agencies a financial blank cheque. Already the security agencies including the military receive more budgetary allocations than critical social sectors such as health and education. Although they are trying, their inability to afford Nigerians the protection we deserve is not attributable to money alone.
$1 billion was recently taken from the Excess Crude Account for the purchase of Super Tucano planes for North East anti-insurgency operations. Another N178 billion was voted for ‘Lafiya Dole’ in the 2018 budget. This was in addition to allocations of N576bn to the Ministry of Interior and another N575.6bn to the Ministry of Defence. followed with though ‘Operation Lafiya Dole’ separately got N78bn. To offer more money to the security services even before they have utilized these huge allocations is unwise, to say the least.
The question then is what special purpose will this new offer by the Senate to the security chiefs serve that was not contained in all of the previous platforms including the 2018 budget package? This country’s security agencies are not famous for efficient utilization of resources. The maintenance culture of the police and the military leaves much to be desired. Several former Airforce Chiefs are currently on trial for alleged massive diversion of funds to private pockets. Besides, public officers in all sectors in this country too often attribute their failure to carry out their duties effectively to lack of adequate funds. Almost every top public officer who speaks to the press would say that his agency needs more funding, even when it received huge funds over the years. Senators who have heard this too many times before should not have swallowed hook, line and sinker the claim by security chiefs of inadequate funds.
In the light of the foregoing therefore, while the Senate acted rightly in inviting the security heads for briefing, it should not have accepted the notion that money is the only problem preventing the security agencies from effectively discharging their duties. It should have gone further to examine whether in fact our security architecture today is adequate to meet the new crime wave that we are experiencing in recent times. Issues such as inter-agency rivalry and corruption should also have been addressed. With the level of corruption that exists in many security agencies, no doubt assisted by the secrecy of their operations, giving them more money is like pouring water down a bottomless pit.
We therefore urge the Senate to instead cooperate closely with the Executive and reexamine the country’s entire security set up. The nature, face, tools and methods of crime in this country have changed beyond recognition in recent years. It is time the security architecture does the same.