By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa
The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday launched a scathing critique of the Federal Government’s “envelope” budgeting system, declaring it fundamentally inadequate to tackle the nation’s multifaceted security crises, even as a state of emergency on security remains in effect.
During a heated budget defence session with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in Abuja, lawmakers expressed deep frustration over persistent funding shortfalls, delayed disbursements, and the consequent stalling of critical capital projects. The upper chamber argued that the current fiscal model is creating a dangerous disconnect between the government’s tough rhetoric on security and the financial reality on the ground.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, Yahaya Abdullahi, led the charge, asserting that the envelope system—which imposes fixed spending ceilings on MDAs—is too rigid for an sector that demands agility.
“The envelope budgeting system is not sufficient to address the magnitude of security threats confronting the nation,” Abdullahi told officials. “If we are serious about winning the fight against insecurity, then our funding structure must reflect that seriousness. Security agencies cannot operate optimally under financial constraints and delayed releases.”
His remarks underscore a widening gulf between the National Assembly and the Executive over resource allocation. Despite President Bola Tinubu’s repeated assurances of restoring order, senators warned that without a funding mechanism that allows for rapid response to emerging threats, the country’s security architecture will continue to falter.
Abdullahi specifically pointed to the inadequate and delayed release of funds from the 2024 and 2025 budgets, which he said has crippled operations. Projects designed to enhance intelligence gathering, surveillance, logistics, and troop mobility have either been abandoned or left partially completed, creating a ripple effect that weakens the entire security apparatus.
Corroborating the committee’s concerns, the Permanent Secretary of the Special Services Office at ONSA, Mohammed Sanusi, admitted that the current financial framework is a major impediment.
“The envelope budgeting framework has posed significant challenges to our operations,” Sanusi stated. “Irregular overhead releases and the failure to fully implement capital appropriations have affected our ability to effectively coordinate and support security agencies.”
Sanusi stressed that security management requires a dynamic funding mechanism capable of responding to sudden spikes in violence and intelligence-driven operations that cannot be postponed by bureaucratic bottlenecks.
The Senate’s intervention comes as Nigeria grapples with a complex web of security threats: a lingering insurgency in the North-East, rampant banditry and kidnappings in the North-West and North-Central, separatist tensions in the South-East, and persistent oil theft and piracy in the Niger Delta.
While defence and security consistently receive one of the largest slices of the national budget, lawmakers and analysts argue that the structure of fund releases often fails to align with operational realities. The “envelope” system, they contend, treats security like any other government department, ignoring the unpredictable nature of conflict and the premium placed on speed and surprise in intelligence work.
Wednesday’s session signals that the National Assembly is prepared to aggressively scrutinize the executive’s funding priorities as the nation heads toward the 2027 general elections, with security expected to remain a dominant campaign issue.
