Don't slash our budget from N710bn to N579bn, Army begs FG
- The National Assembly has been urged to prevail on the federal government not to slash the budget of the Army
- Lieutenant-General Faruk Yahaya, the Chief of Army Staff made the call when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Army to defend the army’s 2022 budget
- He said the army had proposed N710bn for the 2022 fiscal year, but the finance ministry reduced it to N579bn
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Faruk Yahaya, on Wednesday, urged the National Assembly to prevail on the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning to exempt the army from the envelope budgeting system.
Yahaya, while appearing before the Senate Committee on Army to defend the army’s 2022 budget proposal, said the envelope budgeting had been a major challenge to the army.
Source: Facebook
He said the army had proposed N710bn for the 2022 fiscal year, but the finance ministry reduced it to N579bn.
Yahaya said: “This reduction would impede the capacity and tempo of the Nigerian Army in carrying out its constitutional duties particularly the ongoing war against Boko Haram terrorists and other criminalities across the country.”
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He urged the committee to approve for the army, N642.7bn for personnel emolument; N29.6bn for overhead and N37.6bn for capital in 2022.
He also appealed to the National Assembly to cause the finance ministry to begin the release of its 2022 capital allocation in the first quarter of next year.
This, he said, would help the army to rehabilitate dilapidated accommodations in over 138 barracks and training facilities across units and formations as well as procure the needed equipment and platforms to prosecute the war against terrorism and other criminalities across the country.
While reiterating the army’s commitment to ridding the country of Boko Haram terrorists and other criminal groups, he said timely and complete implementation of the 2022 budget would enable the army to fulfil its mandate.
12 terrorists, bandits leaders killed so far in 2021
Meanwhile, Legit.ng had earlier reported though the fight against terrorism is far from over in Nigeria, some positive developments have been witnessed in the current year.
So far in 2021, at least 12 terrorists/bandits leaders have lost their lives even as the security forces continue to intensify the war against the criminal elements tormenting the nation.
Here is the list of terrorist leaders that so far died in the year 2021. The piece is based on a statement from the Nigerian military and reports from various news media.
Nigerian Army partners Russia on anti-terrorism fight
Earlier, amid the battle against insurgency across the north, the Nigerian Army is collaborating with the Russian government for the acquisition of military equipment.
This was revealed on Friday, October 15, by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lieutenant General Yahaya Faruk on Thursday, October 14, at the Army's Abuja headquarters during a courtesy visit of the Russian Ambassador to Nigeria, Alexey Shebarshin.
In a Facebook post shared by the spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier-General Onyema Nwachukwu, COAS Faruk solicited the support of the foreign government in the provision of sophisticated equipment to assist the fight against all forms of terrorism in the country.
Source: Legit.ng
