Nigerian Army Says They Do Not Have Enough Money To Match, Defeat Boko Haram - NewsRescue.com

May 22, 2014

In a clear term, the Nigerian Army on Wednesday declared that its soldiers could not match force with force with Boko Haram.

Chief of Accounts and Budget of the Nigerian Army, Major-General Abdullah Muraina disclosed this in Jos, yesterday, even as the Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Kenneth Minimah who spoke in a similar tone said that ethno-religious crisis and terrorism has left serious financial demand on the Nigeria Army.

The two generals made their remarks during the opening ceremony of the Nigeria Army Finance Corps Warrant Officers/Senior Non-Commissioned Officers Training Week, 2014 holding at the Headquarters of the Infantry Course Centre, Jaji, Kaduna State.

Muraina said: âApart from the limitations of the envelope system, the Nigeria Army is enmeshed in the bureaucratic bottleneck for funding approvals for military operations.

âCurrently, budgetary allocation for the military is inadequate to meet the contemporary security challenges and also cater for the welfare of the Nigerian Army. This calls for a review as the increasing speed at which the effects of conflict appear in the operational environment will continue to challenge military commandersâ.

Consequently Muraina said: âIt is our humble appeal that government could evolve other means of funding and supporting military operations other than the normal budgetary allocation.

âSuch means include but is not limited to strategic co-operation and liaison with other civil industries for the production of uniforms and other equipmentâ.

He suggested that, âa special operations fund could be included in the defence budget and placed under the control of the Chief of Army Staff for immediate disbursement to the required operation areasâ, adding that âour focus is to provide financial management support to the Nigerian Army across the full spectrum of operations during this period of security challengesâ.

Explaining the magnitude of the problem, the CAB said: âThis year, N4.8billion was allocated for capital projects for the Nigerian Army. Of this amount, because of the security challenges, the army decided to buy ballistic helmets and fragmented jackets (2 items) for 20, 000 soldiers, at a cost of $1500, it will amount to about N3billion. Meanwhile, about nine items are needed for the soldiersâ.

The COAS, on his part said: âNo doubt, you are aware of the increasing wave of socio-political and ethno-religious crisis threatening the nationâs security lately. This has assumed a higher dimension, witnessing spate of bombings and attacks on vulnerable points and other strategic areas of interest to the country. This has left serious demands on the Nigeria Army resources.

âWe also know that funding is fundamental to containing security challenges. Success in this pursuit, therefore calls for prudent and efficient management and application of funds. I envision an Army that will effectively manage its available resources to be able to meet contemporary challengesâ, he said. About 150 non-commissioned officers are attending the course, expected to end next Friday.

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