ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, has urged President Bola Tinubu to grant the Nigerian Armed Forces direct access to their statutory funding to eliminate bureaucratic delays affecting military operations.
Ndume, who commended the President for approving salary increases for about 250,000 military personnel, said improved remuneration must be matched with timely provision of arms, ammunition and other operational equipment.
Vanguard reports that the Borno South senator made the call in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday.
Tinubu had last week approved salary increases ranging from 30 to 80 per cent for personnel of the Armed Forces, with the new rates expected to take effect next month.
Under the adjustment, officers above the rank of colonel, including brigadier-generals, major-generals, lieutenant-generals and generals, will receive a 30 per cent increase.
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Personnel from colonel down to warrant officer will receive a 50 per cent increase, while those from private to staff sergeant will get an 80 per cent increase.
The review will raise the annual wage bill for the Armed Forces from N660 billion to N924 billion.
Ndume, a former chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, described the salary review as a positive step towards improving the morale and welfare of military personnel.
He said the decision, coming shortly after the expansion of military divisions from eight to 12, showed that the Tinubu administration had a broader strategy for confronting terrorism and banditry.
“The review of salary will go a long way in motivating our military personnel. I have been in the vanguard of better motivation for our men and officers in the military in terms of decent living wage,” Ndume said.
He, however, cautioned that improved salaries alone would not be enough to defeat insurgents and bandits.
According to him, troops must also have regular access to weapons, ammunition, logistics and modern technological equipment needed for combat operations.
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“I have always argued that aside better welfare package and training, what they need to deal with insurgents is prompt supply of arms and ammunition,” he said.
Ndume therefore urged Tinubu to fulfil his commitment to equipping the Armed Forces with the necessary weapons and technology.
He identified funding bureaucracy as one of the obstacles that could undermine military operations, calling for the annual defence budget to be placed on First Line Charge.
The senator argued that the current envelope budgeting system creates delays between the Ministries of Defence and Finance, affecting the ability of troops to respond effectively to security threats.
“All these can be achieved seamlessly if we put their annual budget on First Line Charge. This envelope budgeting is trapped in unnecessary bureaucracy between the Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Finance,” he said.
Ndume therefore asked the President to consider a system that would allow direct statutory transfers from the Federation Account to the military, similar to the funding arrangement enjoyed by some government agencies.
He said such an arrangement would reduce administrative bottlenecks and ensure that funds required for military operations were released promptly.