Authorities at the Nigerian Army headquarters have identified inadequate finance as a major challenge hampering efforts to tackle Boko Haram insurgency in the north east and other security challenges facing the country.
At the opening ceremony of a training programme for the Nigerian Army Finance Corps Warrant Officers and Senior Non-Commissioned Officers held at Jaji, Kaduna State, the Chief of Accounts and Budget, Nigerian Army headquarters, Major General Abdullahi Muraina, urged the Nigerian government to evolve other means of funding and supporting military operations other than the normal budgetary allocations.
According to him, apart from limitations of the envelope system, the Nigerian Army is also enmeshed in the bureaucratic bottlenecks for funding approvals for military operations.
Threat To Nation’s Security
The increasing dynamic environment coupled with continued technological development in the country and her immediate neighbours have spurred the Nigerian Army to place high premium on efficiency, proficiency and professionalism of officers and soldiers.
It is against this background that the authorities are agitating for improved funding to enable the military effectively confront insecurity.
Muraina also described Warrant Officers and Senior Non-Commissioned Officers as the backbone of regimentation in the Nigerian Army, as they form the bridge between officers and junior Non-Commissioned Officers.
Delivering a speech at the occasion, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Kenneth Minimah, regretted the increasing wave of socio-political and ethno-religious crisis threatening the nation’s security.
The army chief, who was represented by the General Officer Commanding 1 Mechanised Division, Major-General Kenneth Osuji, noted that the current security challenges in Nigeria had left serious demands on the Nigerian Army resources, emphasising that funding was fundamental to tackling the security challenges.
Although the Defence Ministry had always received the highest allocation in past and present budgets, the Nigerian Army authorities are insisting that such allocations are still a far cry to funds needed to meet up with its constitutional obligations of securing the nation’s territory.
The challenges faced presently, according to them, called for concerted effort of all to enable it achieve its constitutional roles.
Their demand is for a special operation fund to be included in defence budget and placed under the control of the Chief of Army Staff.
