Nigeria’s Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), General Abayomi Olonisakin, has asked the government to provide more funding for the Nigerian Armed Forces to enable them perform their duties adequately.
He made the appeal in Abuja while delivering his lecture on the topic, “Military Dimensions Of National Security, The Nigeria Armed Forces Perspectives”, at the 24th course of the National Defence College.
According to the Defense Chief, monetary allocations to the Armed Forces dwindled between 2009 and 2014 even in the face of rising security challenges.
He said, “Defence allocation in Nigeria has reduced in recent times due to other competing interest.
“Nigerian defence expenditure fell in 2014, even with increased oil revenue and insurgent activities in northeast Nigeria.”
He also said that where appropriations for the military is raised, more is given to recurrent expenditure with very little for the purchase of military hardware and training.
“The bulk on Nigerian defence expenditure is allocated to recurrent expenditure, leaving the military with little or no outlive for capital expenditure.”
