Senate Flags Shortfall in Tinubu’s Security Budget, Calls for More Funds

On Wednesday, the Nigerian Senate criticized the Federal Government’s envelope budgeting system, stating that even though President Bola Tinubu declared a national emergency on security, the funding model is not prepared to handle the nation’s worsening security situation.

The upper house made this statement at the Office of the National Security Adviser’s (ONSA) 2026 budget defense session in Abuja, when MPs questioned officials about ongoing funding shortages, postponed releases, and unfinished capital projects.

Even as the country struggles with separatist tensions in the South-East, banditry and kidnappings in the North-West and North-Central, insurgency in the North-East, and oil theft and piracy in the Niger Delta, the current envelope budgeting framework has continuously failed to meet the operational demands of Nigeria’s security and intelligence agencies, according to Yahaya Abdullahi, chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence.

According to Abdullahi, the funding pattern, which establishes preset spending caps for ministries, departments, and agencies, has proven to be too strict for an industry that needs adaptability and quick reaction to changing threats.

Abdullahi declared, “The envelope budgeting system is insufficient to address the magnitude of security threats confronting the nation.” “Our funding system needs to show how serious we are about defeating insecurity. Financial limitations and postponed releases hinder the ability of security services to perform at their best.

His comments are indicative of the National Assembly’s mounting dissatisfaction with what legislators say is a misalignment between fiscal reality and policy promises.

Senators maintained that while the president has frequently reassured Nigerians of his administration’s determination to restore security, such pledges need to be accompanied by sufficient and prompt funding.

Abdullahi further bemoaned the fact that security operations nationwide have been severely undermined by insufficient and postponed funding releases, especially capital allocations in the 2024 and 2025 budgets.

He said that a number of projects intended to improve logistics, operational mobility, surveillance infrastructure, and intelligence collection were either not carried out at all or were just partially done.

Failure to adequately implement capital votes, he said, has repercussions for the entire security architecture, from personnel deployment and training to equipment acquisition.

Speaking during the session as well, Mohammed Sanusi, Permanent Secretary, Special Services, ONSA, confirmed the committee’s worries, citing inconsistent overhead releases, envelope budgeting, and the failure to implement capital appropriations as the main performance barriers.

Sanusi said, “The envelope budgeting framework has presented significant challenges to our operations.” “Our capacity to efficiently coordinate and support security agencies has been impacted by irregular overhead releases and the incomplete implementation of capital appropriations.”

A dynamic funding framework that can react to sudden increases in violence, new threats, and intelligence-driven operations that cannot be postponed by bureaucratic bottlenecks is necessary for security management, Sanusi emphasized.

While ONSA coordinates several security and intelligence agencies, he informed lawmakers that the consistency and adequacy of money flows directly affect how effective the agency is.

The Senate’s censure coincides with growing national security pressures. Nigeria has experienced several attacks on rural communities, mass kidnappings for ransom, attacks on essential infrastructure and security formations, and ongoing threats from non-state actors in recent years.

Lawmakers and commentators have questioned whether the structure of releases and spending patterns mirror practical reality, despite the fact that defense and security get substantial annual allocations, which are frequently among the largest components of the national budget.

MDAs function within preset spending caps under the envelope budgeting method, which are based on anticipated revenues and financial limitations.

Although the paradigm is meant to encourage discipline and macroeconomic stability, others contend that it may hinder organizations that need flexibility, especially in emergency-driven fields like security.

Senators in attendance emphasized that extraordinary financial measures, not regular budgetary limits, should be triggered by the declaration of a national emergency on security.

They cautioned that an imbalance between treasury resources and risks on the ground could undermine public trust and give criminal networks more confidence.

The committee did, however, promise ONSA more robust legislative support to strengthen Nigeria’s security infrastructure.

Abdullahi went on, “We are dedicated to offering the required legislative backing to guarantee that our security framework is reinforced.”

Since lawmakers have hinted at the need for reforms that may provide security services more flexibility in obtaining and using funds, the assurance suggests a potential reconsideration of financing methods during the ongoing 2026 budget deliberations.

Following lengthy open-session discussions, the committee met behind closed doors to examine sensitive parts of the budget plan, such as operational requirements and classified expenditure lines.

As lawmakers work to balance budgetary restraint with the pressing need to restore peace and stability throughout the nation, the Senate’s review’s findings might have a significant impact on how funding is allocated to Nigeria’s security agencies in the upcoming fiscal year.