The House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence has called on the Federal Government to release the full capital allocation for security agencies as outlined in the 2024 and 2025 budget estimates.
During the 2025 budget defence session on Monday, the committee’s chairman, Ahmed Satomi, decried the lack of full capital releases to some intelligence agencies in 2024 and the complete absence of such releases for others. He described this situation as a significant hindrance to achieving efficient service delivery in the nation’s security sector.
Satomi highlighted the underfunding of the intelligence sub-sector despite the overall improvement in security sector allocations over the years. He noted that critical agencies like the National Centre for Counter-Terrorism received no capital releases in 2023 and 2024, while the National Institute for Security Studies and the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons faced similar challenges in 2024.
Speaking on the issue, Satomi said, “I am calling on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, to please intervene not just for an increase in the allocations to the agencies in the intelligence sector but to also direct the Minister of Finance to, as a matter of national security, prioritise the full release of all outstanding 2024 budget allocations to the intelligence agencies and sustain the practice of prompt releases to them going forward.”
He added that the 2025 budget, titled “Budget of Restoration: Securing Peace, Rebuilding Prosperity,” prioritises initiatives like deradicalisation, disarmament, rehabilitation, and reintegration, which require adequate funding for intelligence and security agencies.
The committee chairman also commended President Tinubu for allocating ₦4.91 trillion to defence and security in the proposed 2025 budget. Of this, ₦595 billion is allocated to the intelligence sub-sector, including ₦274.55 billion for capital expenditure, ₦107.96 billion for overhead, and ₦212.51 billion for personnel costs.
“It is heartbreaking that an agency like the National Centre for Counter-Terrorism has not gotten any capital release for the year 2023 and year 2024. 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,” Satomi lamented.
He further emphasised the need for timely capital releases, saying, “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.”
Also present at the budget defence session were representatives of various security agencies, including the Directorate of State Services, National Intelligence Agency, Presidential Air Fleet, and the National Cybercrimes Coordination Centre.
Mohammed Danjuma, Permanent Secretary for Special Services in the Office of the National Security Adviser, assured the committee that the 2025 budget proposal focuses on addressing evolving security threats.
Danjuma stated, “The proposed budget will enhance coordination and collaboration by strengthening partnerships within security agencies to foster a more cohesive and responsive security architecture.”
He acknowledged the constraints of the envelope budgeting system but pledged the commitment of the intelligence community to transparency, accountability, and effective resource management. “Despite these challenges, the agencies try to strike a balance between their operational needs and the government’s fiscal constraints,” he said.
Danjuma also assured Nigerians that the budgetary provisions would align with the government’s overall security objectives, reinforcing efforts to ensure safety and security across the nation.
