Ndume Discloses 3 Things That Will Happen With ₦895bn Supplementary Budget

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, Ali Ndume, has revealed three possible development that will happen with the approval of the ₦895 supplementary budget for the armed forces.

Naija News had reported that The 9th Senate on Wednesday passed the 2021 Supplementary Appropriation Bill of N895, 842, 465, 917 for the second reading.

The budget was passed for second reading a day after the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan read President Muhammadu Buhari’s letter seeking the Red Chamber’s approval of the budget.

The supplementary budget contained funds to purchase military equipment and the COVID-19 vaccine programme.

Speaking with news reporters shortly after his bill on the establishment of the Federal College of Education, Gwoza, was passed during Senate plenary on Wednesday, Ndume said the incessant abduction of students by bandits and criminal groups will not affect school enrolment in the northern part of the country.

Naija News understands that the country has in recent time recorded disturbing cases of school student abduction across many states, a development that has been perceived as a threat to education in the country, especially in the North.

Ndume said necessary measures were being put in place to tackle insecurity in the country.

The lawmaker assured Nigerians that his committee, as well as those in charge of Defence, Navy, Air force, and the Police, would ensure the judicious utilisation of the N895bn supplementary appropriation meant to tackle insecurity and health-related issues in Nigeria.

He said, “Never in the history of the Nigerian Military that a budget of N700bn will be approved for the Armed Forces in this country since 1999.

“Even in this year’s budget, capital allocation to the Nigerian Army, in particular, is less than N30bn. We have been crying out that the Nigerian Army is handicapped due to inadequate funds to procure necessary modern equipment to prosecute the war against insurgency and banditry.

“Fortunately, the President has sent a supplementary budget of N895bn for the necessary equipment needed by the armed forces.

“With the new recruits and the new Chief of Army Staff, we are expecting that all forms of criminality, from the insurgency in the North-East, banditry in the North-West, and other challenges threatening the country’s security will come to an end.

“We will ensure that we in the National Assembly, especially the Committee on Army, will do everything possible to carry out our oversight duties to ensure that the money goes to where it should go.

“With that, we are ready to face the challenges confronting us as a country,” Ndume reiterated.