The Federal Government disbursed N1.03 trillion to combat insecurity and terrorism between January and June 2024.
According to the budget implementation report for the first half of 2024 obtained from Open Treasury, this represents a disbursement rate of 42.80 percent from its N2.41 trillion appropriation, leaving a balance of N1.38 trillion.
Despite this expenditure, at least 5,801 Nigerians were killed in terrorist attacks, and 4,348 citizens were abducted in the first seven months of 2024, according to findings by The PUNCH.
Data from Indigenous intelligence outfit Beacon Consulting revealed these fatalities occurred across 574 Local Government Areas.
A breakdown by geopolitical zones showed:
– North-East: 2,223 killed (33 percent of total incidents), 1,609 individuals killed, 614 kidnapped in 88 LGAs.
– North-West: 125 councils attacked, 2,023 killed, 2,607 abducted.
– North-Central: 96 councils attacked, 1,102 killed, 847 kidnapped.
– South-West: 106 councils attacked, 434 killed, 93 abducted.
– South-South: 81 councils attacked, 275 killed, 145 abducted.
– South-East: 78 LGAs attacked, 358 killed, 42 abducted.
Insecurity continues to hinder Nigeria’s socio-economic development, with violence and crime stemming from terrorism, banditry, cattle rustling, and kidnapping for ransom.
Despite government investments in advanced attack machinery, insurgents operate with relative ease.
Although attacks and casualties have decreased, persistent threats highlight ongoing security challenges.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government disbursed N9.53 trillion to Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in the first six months of the 2024 budget year.
This represents a 24 percent disbursement rate from the total appropriation of N38.83 trillion, leaving a balance of N29.3 trillion.
Funds were disbursed to over 500 MDAs for operations and infrastructure development, as monitored by Open Treasury.
This comes amid reports of poor funding to MDAs. The Accountant-General of the Federation, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Madein, admitted the government had not begun implementing the capital component of the 2024 national budget, continuing with the 2023 budget after consulting with the Finance Minister, Wale Edun, and Budget and Economic Planning Minister, Atiku Bagudu.
This delay may impair the government’s January-December budget cycle and national development plan 2021-2025.
A breakdown of disbursements revealed:
– Ministry of Finance: N4.96 trillion (36.94 percent disbursement rate from N13.43 trillion appropriation).
– Defence Ministry: N1.03 trillion (42.80 percent disbursement rate from N2.41 trillion appropriation).
– Education Ministry: N600.25 billion (29.52 percent disbursement rate from N2.03 trillion allocation).
– Police Affairs Ministry: N424.13 billion (42.17 percent disbursement rate from N1.01 trillion appropriation).
Economic spending included:
– Defence and Security:N1.28 trillion.
– Economic Affairs:N859.9 billion.
– Health Sector:N314.5 billion.
– Education Sector:N784.37 billion.
– Social Protection:N103.5 billion.
– General Public Services:N5.42 trillion.
– Public Order and Safety:N764.98 billion.
– Environmental Protection:N11.67 billion.
– Housing and Communities:N175.49 billion.
– Recreation, Culture, and Religion:N31.79 billion.
Security consultant and Fellow of the Institute of Security, Nigeria, Chigozie Ubani, emphasized the need for a comprehensive approach to national security.
He criticized the current reactionary measures and highlighted the importance of addressing underlying social and economic factors contributing to insecurity.
“We are running a reactionary police system. When it happens, we then move.
We arrest people, detain them, and later bail them. The other day, we charged them to court. It’s just reactionary.
What we’ve not done is to look at the social and economic angles to security.
We might be lucky, but if not, we might have a bloody situation, because people are hungry. This is one of our major problems,” Ubani stated.
