Irabor Critiques Nigeria's Security Funding Amid Crisis

Henry Lucky Irabor, the former Chief of Defence Staff, expressed concerns over the under-funding of Nigeria's security agencies despite substantial budgetary allocations. He noted that less than one percent of Nigeria's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is allocated to the armed forces, which is inadequate given the declared state of emergency on security.

Irabor advocated for a formal declaration of war against insecurity, emphasizing the need for a resource-backed approach to combat existential threats to the Nigerian state. He pointed out that over three-quarters of Nigeria's defense budget is consumed by personnel costs, leaving limited funds for procurement and modernization.

For instance, the Nigerian Army's approved equipment budget for 2025 is 20.56 billion, with only 7.1 percent released so far. Additionally, the Nigerian Air Force's aircraft maintenance budget of 34.71 billion has seen only 13.9 percent released.

Irabor stressed that the most significant gap in Nigeria's security response is the lack of political will. Former Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro, also noted that inadequate funding of the police has contributed to current security challenges.