By Peter Omopo / July 31, 2025
ABUJA – The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, has made a passionate appeal to the National Assembly for increased and more flexible funding for the Nigerian Army, stressing the urgent need to enhance operational efficiency and address critical gaps in personnel welfare.
Oluyede made the call on Thursday during an oversight visit by members of the Senate Committee on Army to the Army Headquarters in Abuja. While commending the lawmakers for their sustained support, he lamented that the current envelope budgeting system was insufficient to meet the Army’s growing responsibilities.
“As we speak, the Army continues to face serious challenges regarding operational effectiveness,” the Army chief said. “This year alone, we are onboarding approximately 13,000 new personnel, yet there are no adequate resources to provide them with accommodation. We already have many soldiers without housing, and that number will only increase.”
He urged the committee to consider the creation of a special intervention fund outside the regular budgeting framework to enable the Army to meet its infrastructure and welfare obligations.
“We’re not only talking about current internal security concerns. What if the nation faces external aggression in the future?” Oluyede asked. “It is critical that we begin to plan ahead. Please, I urge you to look into the possibility of special funding, especially to provide housing and basic needs for our troops.”
In response, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, acknowledged the pressing financial constraints confronting the military. He pledged the committee’s commitment to advocating for the Army’s removal from the restrictive envelope budgeting system, which currently limits funding flexibility.
“The Nigerian Army and the Armed Forces should be exempt from the envelope budgeting model,” Yar’Adua stated. “Our oversight visits have made it clear that there’s a need for greater funding to support their expanding mandate.”
The senator revealed that the committee had been divided into two groups to conduct oversight inspections of Army formations in Borno, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Lagos states. He noted that while many projects were progressing well, a few required immediate attention and had been brought to the Army leadership’s notice.
“We will continue to support the Nigerian Army and collaborate with the executive to ensure that they are not only well-funded but also adequately equipped to meet national security demands,” Yar’Adua affirmed.
He also disclosed that the committee would carry out another round of oversight visits before the end of the year to monitor the implementation of the 2025 Appropriations Act.
