N50bn in the 2025 budget not sufficient for Nigeria’s defence needs – Matawalle

The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has described the N50.44 billion allocated to the Ministry of Defence in the 2025 budget proposal as inadequate to address the nation’s security challenges.
During a budget defence session with the House of Representatives Committee on Defence on Tuesday at the National Assembly Complex, Matawalle appealed for an additional N20 billion to support compensating the families of military personnel who lost their lives in active service.
The Federal Government’s proposed allocation for the ministry includes N31.81 billion for personnel costs, N4.90 billion for overheads, and N13.73 billion for capital expenditures.
Standing in for the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, Matawalle emphasized the need to prioritize the welfare of military personnel, stating that improved support would enable them to perform their duties more effectively.
He said, “We have non-payment and accumulated bills of group life insurance, which is very important. We have the non-payment and accumulated bills of group life insurance for military personnel which we have requested the committee for consideration.
“We need the sum of N20bn as an additional fund for payment of families of deceased military personnel.”
He also called attention to the conditions of military barracks across the country, saying, “If you look at the budget of 2024, most of the barracks, the allocation made was zero. How do we expect the personnel of the military to perform while their living standard is inadequate?
“All the proposals we made, the allocation in 2024 was zero and these are the people that we expect to perform magic. For us in the ministry, we have a lot of challenges.
“While we look at the budget of 2025, it is just N50bn. We have a shortfall of N18bn from the last year’s budget. And people expect the ministry to do wonders.
“The Ministry of Defence is supposed to provide some equipment for some of the zones but we cannot. Out of what we have in 2024, we can only provide 20 Armoured Personnel Carriers. What 20 APCs can do? In Katsina alone, if we have 50 APCs, we can go inside the bush to flush out those criminals,” he said, adding “Within two months, we’ll finish the issue of banditry.”
Continuing, the former Zamfara State Governor said, “We cannot pay entitlements of those in the theatres of operations. In fact, this month, I had to write a letter to Mr President to pay even the presidential guard.
“I believe this committee can look into the issue of the Ministry of Defence to see how they can squeeze out additional funding for the Ministry. ”
In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Babajimi Benson, reaffirmed the National Assembly’s commitment to ensuring effective resource allocation to empower the nation’s defence sector.
“This exercise remains a cornerstone of our legislative responsibility, ensuring the efficient allocation of resources to bolster national security,” he stated, adding that the legislature has prioritised increased funding for the defence sector in recent years.
Benson who represents Ikorodu Federal Constituency, Lagos State stressed the importance of fiscal transparency and accountability in the use of allocated funds.
“With these enhanced resources comes a heightened expectation for prudent, transparent, and impactful utilisation. Every naira must be judiciously spent to strengthen the operational capacity of the Armed Forces and deliver tangible results,” he said.
The budget defence session, according to the Lagos lawmaker, comes at a time when Nigeria is facing evolving security threats that demand heightened vigilance and inter-agency collaboration.
He urged defence agencies to adopt strategic initiatives focused on measurable outcomes, operational efficiency, and the integration of modern technologies