Former spokesperson of the Nigerian Air Force, Group Captain Sadeeq Shehu (Rtd), says Nigeria is spending an appropriate amount on security but poor budget planning and governance are undermining the effectiveness of defence spending.
Shehu made the assessment during an interview on ARISE News on Thursday, while discussing the Federal Government’s special security interventions and defence allocations between 2023 and 2026.
He argued that the country’s security challenges cannot be addressed simply by increasing defence spending, stressing that the priority should be how available funds are allocated and utilised.
“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.
Shehu identified the structure of Nigeria’s defence budget as a major concern, explaining that a significant proportion goes towards personnel costs, leaving limited funds for equipment, maintenance, training and military modernisation.
According to him, the 2026 defence budget of ₦3.154 trillion allocates 75.9 per cent, approximately ₦2.4 trillion, to personnel costs, while overhead expenses account for 9.4 per cent, or about ₦297 billion.
He said capital expenditure, which covers equipment, maintenance and procurement, receives 14.7 per cent, amounting to approximately ₦464 billion.
“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 should be broken down into more specific categories to ensure adequate funding for military operations, equipment, training, infrastructure and research.
He said advanced militaries adopt more comprehensive budgeting structures rather than grouping major defence requirements under personnel, overhead and capital expenditure.
“What global best practise 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% is allocated to the two of them. This is not good enough,” he said.
Shehu also stressed that proper defence planning would help the government identify essential military requirements and prevent resources from being allocated to 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 further maintained that the National Assembly and the Presidency needed a clearer understanding of the country’s defence requirements to improve budget formulation and allocation.
“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.
Shehu maintained that improving Nigeria’s security spending would require better planning and governance rather than simply increasing the amount allocated to the military.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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