Chairman, Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, Sen. Yahaya Abdullahi, on Wednesday decried the envelope budgeting system for security and intelligence agencies.

Abdullahi expressed the concern when the Permanent Secretary, Special Services, Office of the National Security Adviser, Mohammed Sanusi, appeared before the committee for budget defence.

He said that the meeting was convened to examine the budgetary provisions that would fund the operations of the security and intelligence community for the 2026 financial year.

Abdullahi, while recalling that President Bola Tinubu recently declared a national emergency on security, said that the committee considered it necessary for budgetary allocations to the intelligence community.

“This is to ensure that it is commensurate with the challenges facing the nation,” he said.

The senator said that it was imperative for security agencies to perform optimally and address the myriads of increasing emerging security threatening national stability, adding that they needed to be properly funded.

“It is, however, disheartening to note that the security and intelligence agency’s budget is still subject to the vagaries of the envelope system of budgeting rather than on genuine needs and requirements,” he stated.

The lawmaker said that the non-release or partial release of capital funds allocated to security agencies in the 2024 and 2025 budgets was inappropriate.

“This has, no doubt, impacted very negatively on their capacity to procure materials and modern security equipment as well as their operational capabilities,” he said.

Abdullahi stressed the need for the National Assembly to provide the intelligence community the necessary resources to safeguard the nation, the citizens and their property.

A member of the committee, Sen. Orji Kalu (APC-Abia), commended the security and intelligence community for appearing before the committee promptly.

He said: “In previous instances, some invitees—especially certain ministers—have not adhered to scheduled times, arriving hours late and citing various excuses.

“Such delays negatively affect our work, especially during this critical budget period,” he said.

Kalu, while describing budget deliberations as serious matters, said: “delays hinder our ability to perform our constitutional duties effectively.

“I urge that this culture of punctuality and respect for institutional processes be maintained.”

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Special Services, Office of the National Security Adviser, Mohammed Sanusi, said that the brief covered the Office of the National Security Adviser and its centres.

The centres, according to him, include the National Counter Terrorism Centre, National Cyber Security Coordination Centre, National Centre for Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons and Presidential Amnesty Programmes, among others.

Sanusi said that the key focus area for the intelligence community in the current financial year included, but not limited to, combating terrorism, banditry and kidnapping through enhanced intelligence and community-based strategies.

“It is noteworthy that the operations and the activities of the securities in the 2025 financial year are not without challenges.

“Some of these key challenges encountered by the intelligence community in the implementation of the 2025 budget include, among others, the envelope system of budgeting,” he said.

Sanusi said that the envelope system constituted a lot of constraints in terms of resource allocation to the intelligence community.

“There are irregular releases of the overhead cost, non-implementation of the release of the 2025 capital appropriation and irregular release of foreign service personnel shortfall,” he stated.

He, therefore, called for provision of adequate funding to the intelligence committee through a supplementary budget.

“This is to ensure timely and speedy response to issues of national security. We all agree that no nation can grow without adequate security,” Sanusi said.

Anambra State House of Assembly has given indication that it will lift the suspension on the member representing Ayamelum State Constituency, Bernard Udemezue.

Udemezue was suspended in August 2025 following accusations that he made social media posts revealing certain information about the workings of the House, including members’ allowances and emoluments.

The lawmaker had defended himself, saying his actions were based on his promise to his constituents that if elected, he would run an open door policy and render necessary accounts of his stewardship, including making his pay known.

He was initially suspended for six months, but after the suspension elapsed, he made attempts to resume, but was again sent out for another three months for not following the procedure, which involves an apology to the House.

Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Assembly, Somtochukwu Udeze, on Wednesday directed the House Committee on Rules, Ethics and Privileges to review the suspension.

Speaking during plenary, Udeze tasked the committee, chaired by the Majority Leader, Ikenna Ofodeme, to urgently re-examine the matter in line with the House resolution and report back to the Assembly on the next adjourned date.

The Speaker said that the lifting of the suspension is subject to review by the committee, which he said will assess the level of compliance by the affected member to the suspension meted out to him.

He said the committee will review these and report to the House on the next adjourned date for recommendations and consideration.

Udemezue is expected to serve out his suspension on February 26, 2026.

Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has praised the peaceful conduct and outcome of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ward congresses held across the state on Wednesday.

Diri spoke at his hometown, Sampou, headquarters of the Sampou/Kalama Ward 6 in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of the state, after participating in the congress.

The governor, according to his Chief Press Secretary, Dan Alabrah, congratulated party delegates for unanimously electing the new leadership in his ward and other wards in the state through a generally accepted consensus and affirmation approach.

He stressed that politics should not divide the people but rather bring them together as the goal should be to bring development to communities, local government areas and the state in general.

He said the APC national leadership would be proud of the state for the conduct of the congresses and the hitch-free process that produced leaders across the wards.

The Bayelsa governor noted that reports at his disposal indicated that conduct of the exercise was largely rancour-free across the state.

He expressed the optimism that the same process would produce similar outcomes from Saturday’s local government congress and eventually the state congress.

The Governor also commended the party’s National Executive Council, the state caretaker committee led by Dr. Dennis Otiotio and other leaders of the party as well as the Independent National Electoral Commission and the security agencies that observed and contributed to the peaceful conduct of the congress.

“We have all witnessed the affirmation by voice vote. This means that unanimously, the APC in my ward, Sampou/Kalama Ward 6 in Kolokuma Opokuma Local Government Area, has elected a new leadership.

“I thank all the leaders of this ward and all of us present here. Let us continue with this spirit of oneness. When we are united, our development will be faster.

“What we are doing in Bayelsa State is showing that we are one and the same as Ijaw people, and that we do not need to kill or hate ourselves because of politics. Politics should not disunite us. Rather, it should bring us together because the goal is to bring development to our communities, local government and the state.

“I am sure that the party at the national level will be very proud of our state that without rancor, we have been able to elect our leadership at the ward levels” he stated.

The Sampou/Kalama Ward 6 congress was conducted by the State Congress Election Committee led by Chief Frank Omare and Mr. Shedrach Fetuga emerged as chairman alongside other ward executives.

In his acceptance speech, Fetuga thanked party faithful at the ward for finding him and his fellow Exco members worthy of their positions and vowed to ensure the APC becomes victorious in the area in the general election and the governorship in 2027.

The exercise was witnessed by the State Congress Screening Committee chairman, Hon. Oghene Egoh, and the INEC observer, Engr Prince Erasmus.