Thread by @DefenseNigeria

Nigeria's political elite areat it again. This time around the defence budget is being slashed at the most security critical period of Nigeria
since the civil war. The Chief of Army Staff declared that the reduction will affect its operational efficiency.

He specifically asked the commitee to facilitate the exclusion of the Army and other military outfits from routine annual envelope. This reduction would impede the capacity and tempo of the Nigerian Army in carrying out its constitutional duties, particularly the war against

terrorists and other criminalities across the country. He is making a passionately appeal to this committee to begin the release of year 2022 capital budget in the first. This would help the Nigerian Army to rehabilitate dilapidated training facilities across NA formations

as well as procure the needed equipment and platforms to prosecute the war against terrorism and other criminalities across the country. The Army boss added that the provision for the Army to combat insurgency and banditry was grossly inadequate.

Now heres the thing. Slashing the salaries of Nigerian lawmakers by just 20% will tripple the army's capital budget expenditure. For a terrorists there will be no better way to make a statement that stage attacks in Abuja. It will be a propaganda victory unlike any before.

Abuja has been spared the destruction you find in the northeast/west. Its not luck. The terrorists do try. Basking in the security provided by the military, and then slashing their budget expenditure shows the disconnect between the political class and the military.

There is no price tag for peace and the lives of our all volunteer servicemen and women.

Who remembers when the Senate raised the alarm that Nigeria risks losing $493m paid for the purchase of Super Tucanos over bad runway.

They claimed that the runway does not have the capacity to carry the A-29s and said that there is the urgent need to make provision for additional N9 billion (Yes. NINE BILLION) that will take care of the runway or else Nigeria will lose the money and the Aircraft.

This was in late November 2020. Dont take my word for it. Lets quote verbatim Senator Mike Ama Nnachi.

QUOTE

It is very serious issue, they are running around, they have gone to the CBN, The money needed is not part of the main budget. Nigeria has already paid $493 million

for the aircraft, and the Americans who came to Nigeria last week said that the Kanji runway is not capable to carry that fighter jet and that Nigeria might forfeit the Aircraft

END QUOTE.

Remember one of the primary reason the NAF went for the Super Tucanos

was their ability to operate from dirt or obscure airstripes. An obviously irritated Air Chief, Sadique Abubakar debunked the claim and shot down the notion. What followed next was a campaign by the Senate to fire the Service Chiefs.

And here they are once again. It never ends well when the poltiical class intefere with war efforts. Starving the army of funds is the embodiment of self sabotage. Its selfish, ill adviced, dangerous.

It gives the enemy hope there might be a miracle. Thats how the United States lost the Vietnam war. If the Americans had told their people they were going to stay and keep fighting until they either won, or they were dead, there was not much Vietcong could have done to win.

The near defeated Vietcong looked at the political infighting and shelved plans for negotiations. All they had to do was hold on just a little longer. It worked.

Nigeria needs a strong military and the enemy needs to see the resolve of a military ready to fight to the end.

It is crucial that the President have the necessary assurance that no aggresor can escalate a crises beyond Nigeria's control. A strong military ensures that our vital interest will be safeguarded. Its not just about Nigeria, but the entire region at large.

Nigeria is commited to helping secure peace and stability in the region. A strong military underpins our ability to do so even in the most challenging of circumstances. For decades it has been used only to deter aggression against our vital interest, never to coerce anyone.

Whats baffling is that the army is fighting against slashing its budget by N131 billion. From N710 billion to N579. N131 billion is less than 20% of the operational expenditures of Nigerian lawmakers, who are eating the country wealth with insane allowances. They are entitled to

monthly sundry expenses of N13.5 million ($37,500). Each Senator earns $450,000 annually in allowances, minus basic salary. The U.S President, the most powerful man in the world only earns $450,000 (including bonus) annually.

The Nigerian Senate has a lot of power to make laws to suit personal interests. Lets remember that the provision for the Army to combat insurgency and banditry is grossly inadequate already. Despite the inadequate funding the Nigerian army is tasked to

to securing the territorial integrity of Nigeria from any violation. It is deployed in all geopolitical zones of the country, stretching the military to near breaking point for more than a decade. The army tries to compensate for this with the acquisition of modern equipments

leveraging on technology. Yet the Senate still wants to slash N131 billion out of the army's already meagre allocation, when they can easily cut their monthly allowances that goes to the tune of over N400 billion.