Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has voiced strong concerns about the country’s security agencies consistently receiving low budget allocations, SAVANNAH NEWSNOW REPORTS.
Speaking at a national security dialogue in Abuja on Monday, June 16, the minister noted that underfunding has consistently weakened the effectiveness and morale of security personnel, a joint event organised by the House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the Constitution and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
Tunji-Ojo expressed regret that security operatives are not provided with sufficient funding, despite their substantial responsibilities, which makes it challenging to provide them with the necessary resources and tools to function effectively year after year.
“How much of the 2025 budget is allocated to border security? The National Immigration Service’s entire capital budget is less than N10 billion, which is insufficient to secure 4024 sq/km of border space. It’s impractical to expect meaningful protection when for every terrorist eliminated, twenty more can infiltrate through our porous borders.
“The military are challenged. So for us, we need to be very realistic with ourselves. Do we want a system that works or we just want to play to the gallery.
“The truth is, when it comes to internal security in Nigeria, people immediately think of the military, which indicates a failure of our internal security agencies, despite the excellent work of our DSS, NIA, and NSA..”
