By Ubong Ukpong, Abuja

Defence Minister, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, on Wednesday, expressed the confidence that Nigeria was winning the war against insurgency, given the proactive efforts of security agencies.

The Minister disclosed this during the 2024 budget defence held at the instance of the joint Senate and House Committee on Defence, co-chaired by Senator Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan and Hon.

In the quest to achieve this feat, he emphasised the necessity of providing additional funds for the prosecution of various operations, stating that the sum of N78,581,164,993 was required to ensure sustained and simultaneous operations.

“Our aim is to have simultaneous operations in all our theatres so that all of them would work, and we can try as much as possible to end the insecurity at once instead of fighting it in one centre, and the bandits or the insurgents are moving to the other centre,” he explained.

This was the intent of the supplementary budget for the Ministry, and the Minister assured that the expenditure would be tracked. He stated, “I am sure that we would track expenditure and ensure money being appropriated is utilized fully, and we would account as appropriate.”

“The Ministry is totally committed to actualizing its core mandate. We seek the support of members of the House and the Senate. I appeal to the National Assembly to review upwards the Ministry’s overhead cost in view of the prevailing economic situation to help the Ministry function effectively. So the overhead is very low, and we call for support.”

“On the issue of the progress and if the war would end, I suggest that we have a closed-door meeting with joint committees where we will have all the services and operation theatre commanders.

“We would talk in a closed-door meeting and talk extensively on the operational areas and what we are doing, what we envisage would happen, but we believe we can end the war against insecurity. But we need to discuss this in a closed-door session and with all the services and the CDS and some of the operational theatres here, where you would ask questions and be satisfied with what we are doing currently. We will explain to you in detail what is happening across the theatres of operation.”

He also expressed appreciation to the National Assembly for passing the DICON, facilitating the establishment of a local company that would soon be commissioned, employing about 1,500 Nigerians to produce items for the military.

The Chairman of the joint committee, Senator Ahmad Lawan, urged the Minister to do more to ensure the effective security of lives and property across the country. He also unveiled the 10th Assembly’s plans to investigate the Safe Schools Initiative Project.

In response to the inquiry, Permanent Secretary, Mr. Ibrahim Kana, explained that the project was now domiciled with the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Interior, having previously been handled by the Ministry of Education.

“The project started with Gordon Brown, the former prime minister of the United Kingdom, but right now the project is fully funded by the Nigerian Government. Initially, it also started with the Ministry of education with the thinking that it was an educational institutional activity, but over time we realized that education cannot handle such a project so it gradually shifted from education to the various security agencies in the country, which includes the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Interior. Right now, those are the only two ministries responsible for the execution of the safe schools’ project in the country,” Kana said.

In a swift reaction to his submission, Senator Lawan said: “The Committees on a later date would like to have full discussion of how this initiative is being undertaken because now you are saying it is in different ministers and that is part of the bane of our successes in Nigeria.

“When it goes into various ministries and agencies, everybody protects his territory and at the end of the day, students are struggling all the time, and there is no safety. If anything, I think the safety has deteriorated.

“We should have a session to have full discussions on that. And with N2.5 billion, I mean it is quite some money, but it is not about the money. It is about getting the strategies right and getting every actor to act. So we would hold separate discussions on that.”

In his remarks, Chairman, House Committee on Defence, Hon. Babajimi Benson, who commended the Ministry for sustaining the anti-terrorism fight in the country, pledged the 10th National Assembly’s support for the Armed Forces to carry out their mandate to Nigerians.

Hon. Benson also urged the Minister on the need to ensure prudent management of funds and resources from taxpayers.