Ex-Air Force spokesperson identifies ‘flaw’ affecting Nigeria’s multi-trillion naira defence budget

A former Nigerian Air Force spokesperson, Sadeeq Shehu, has faulted Nigeria’s defence budget structure, stating that poor planning and governance, rather than inadequate funding, are weakening the country’s security operations.

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Mr Shehu, a retired group captain, made the assessment during an interview on ARISE News, monitored by PREMIUM TIMES, on Thursday, while examining the federal government’s special security interventions and defence allocations between 2023 and 2026.

He said that increasing military expenditure would not necessarily improve Nigeria’s security situation unless the government addressed how available resources were planned, allocated and utilised.

The retired officer said Nigeria was spending a reasonable proportion of its resources on defence but was failing to translate the expenditure into commensurate operational capacity.

“If you ask me, proportionate to what Nigeria is earning from its foreign trade and everything from petrol, I think we are spending right as far as amount is concerned. The problem is the plan and where do we put the money. The problem is also a governance issue,” he said.

His assessment comes on the heels of sustained security challenges across the country, including insurgency, banditry and other forms of violent crime, despite substantial government allocations to the defence and security sectors.

Mr Shehu identified the composition of the 2026 defence budget as evidence of the problem, saying an overwhelming proportion of the allocation was committed to personnel expenses at the expense of critical military requirements.

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According to him, the N3.154 trillion defence allocation provides N2.4 trillion, representing 75.9 per cent, for personnel costs, while overhead expenditure accounts for 9.4 per cent, or about N297 billion.

He questioned how the military could adequately provide equipment, maintain existing platforms, train personnel and modernise its operations when such a substantial proportion of its budget was absorbed by personnel costs.

“This is where the major problem is. And I do not see either the executive branch or even the legislature attacking this,” he said.

The former air force spokesperson argued that Nigeria’s defence budget needed a more detailed classification to reveal how much was being committed to specific military requirements.

He said the existing practice of grouping expenditure under personnel, overhead and capital costs obscured the actual funding available for equipment procurement, maintenance, training, military infrastructure and research.

He maintained that more detailed defence budgeting systems provide clearer expenditure categories, enabling governments to identify operational gaps and direct resources towards priority requirements.

“What global best practice has shown us is that the only thing that comes out from this budget is personnel cost. You will wonder, where is equipment? Where is maintenance? Where is training? A paltry less than 25 per cent is allocated to the two of them. This is not good enough,” he said.

Mr Shehu warned that without proper planning, Nigeria could continue spending substantial amounts on defence without adequately addressing the military’s most pressing operational needs.

He said a poorly structured budget could leave essential requirements unfunded while directing scarce resources towards less critical areas.

“If you don’t plan your defence budget properly, you are likely to leave things that are essential and put money where they are not essential. That is the point I want to make,” he said.

He also questioned the capacity of the presidency and the National Assembly to effectively scrutinise defence expenditure, arguing that the existing budget structure did not provide sufficient details for informed oversight.

According to him, lawmakers and government officials need a clearer understanding of the military’s operational requirements to ensure that budget allocations reflect actual security priorities.

READ ALSO: Tinubu to present 2027 budget to NASS in December – Minister 

“If you just leave it into these three, you know, three subheads, personnel, capital and overhead, you will never get the proper picture. And I can assure you from my research, the National Assembly and even the presidency, they do not have really a clear picture of what the defence budget is all about,” he said.

Mr Shehu’s position suggests that Nigeria’s challenge may be beyond how much it spends on defence, but whether the expenditure is structured to deliver the equipment, training, maintenance and operational capacity required to confront the country’s security threats.

He maintained that improving defence planning and governance, rather than merely increasing military allocations, should be central to efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s security operations.

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