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The Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, stated yesterday that it is impractical to expect two million security personnel to adequately protect a population exceeding 200 million Nigerians.
During the 2024 Distinguished Personality Lecture held in Ilorin, Kwara State, Gen. Lagbaja made this observation.
The COAS, whose address was delivered by the Chief of Army Training, Sanni Mohammed, stressed the military’s reliance on imported defense hardware, citing the weakness of the country’s industrial base as the underlying cause.
Highlighting the issue of inadequate resources, the army chief expressed concerns about the insufficient funding of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN), noting that it has considerably weakened the military’s operational performance.
He said: “In a country of over 200 million people, it is unrealistic to expect security agencies, totalling around two million, including an army of just over 100,000 active personnel without a reserve force, to secure the entire population.
“We import over 90 per cent of our military needs,” he said, noting that despite some local production efforts, the country’s dependence on foreign military supplies remains overwhelming.
“The pursuit of national development alongside national security is a costly endeavour, as defence policy is capital-intensive.
“In 2023, the entire AFN had a budget of about $2.8 billion, with an additional supplementary budget of around one billion dollars. However, not all budgetary allocations were fully released.
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“Although funding for the AFN has been improving annually since 2017, the country’s economic downturn has eroded the actual value of what is released.
“The lack of funding affects the AFN’s equipment holdings, which directly impacts performance.”
Addressing the security personnel gap, Lagbaja said: “The considerable resource gap is being exploited by criminal elements. Addressing this requires investment in expanding and strengthening security forces, ensuring adequate personnel and resources.
“National security requires all citizens to be part of the security framework, fostering vigilance, trust, and community engagement. This will create a more resilient citizenry, better equipped to respond to national emergencies.”
In his remarks, Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor Wahab Egbewole stressed the importance of peace and security for sustainable development.
Held to celebrate the United Nations International Day of Peace, the event was organized by the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies at the University of Ilorin, in cooperation with the Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peacekeeping Centre in Jaji.
