Writing by Bashir Mayere; Editing by Basirat Memudu
The senate has assured its commitments in supporting the National Security and Intelligence for optimal performance in the discharge of its constitutional mandate of safeguarding the Nation and its Citizens.
The chairman senate committee on National Security and Intelligence, senator Yahya Abdullahi made the commitment in his remarks at the budget defence session this Wednesday.
He explained that this year’s budget exercise is an important one, in the sense that the nation is currently going through a lot of security challenges, saying they are aware of the complex security situation the country us faced with which require all hands to be on deck.
He said recently President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared a national emergency on security and to back up this presidential declaration, the Committee considers it necessary for budgetary allocations to the Intelligence Community to be commensurate with the challenges facing the nation.
” For security agencies to perform optimally and address the increasing security challenges which threaten national stability, they need to be properly funded.”
He however, assured that as a committee they shall leave no stone unturned to ensure that they strengthen the agencies under their regime, make them strong and responsive to any security and intelligence threats that face this country.
In his opening remarks, the permanent secretary office of the National Security Adviser, Muhammad Sanusi who represented the National Security Adviser Malam Nuhu Ribadu highlighted the key focus areas for the intelligence community in the current financial year 2026.
“These includes combating terrorism, banditry, kidnapping through enhanced intelligence and community-based strategies,
Also the securing of critical infrastructure to ensure economic and food security, enhancing the protection of oil and gas critical infrastructure to increase output of oil production”.
He further explained that their focus is also on marine and border security, enhancing adequate cyber security, continuous maintenance of positive and tolerable level of security within the three arms zones and the country in general.
Muhammad Sanusi also said they planned to improve capacity building and manpower deployment to address emerging security challenges, as well as the impact of political unrest within the contiguous West African countryside.
Muhammad Sanusi said the 2025 financial year is moving without challenges, Some of these key challenges include the envelope system of budgeting constitutes a lot of constraint in terms of resource allocation, also there’s irregular releases of the overhead cost and non-implementation of the release of the 2025 capital component.
Also, there is irregular release of
foreign service personnel shortfall relationship of the 2024 and some other non-release of capital
allocation.
