The Nigerian Senate criticized the federal government’s envelope budgeting framework Wednesday, warning that the fiscal model is structurally incapable of meeting the operational demands of security agencies despite President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a national emergency on insecurity.
The assessment emerged during budget defence sessions where lawmakers pressed officials from multiple security institutions on funding gaps, delayed releases, and stalled capital projects that senators said have directly undermined counterinsurgency operations across the country’s six geopolitical zones.
Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, who chairs the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, told officials from the Office of the National Security Adviser during a Wednesday session that the envelope budgeting template, which imposes fixed expenditure ceilings on ministries, departments, and agencies, has proved too rigid for a sector that requires flexibility and rapid response to evolving threats.
“The envelope budgeting system is not sufficient to address the magnitude of security threats confronting the nation,” Abdullahi said. “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.”
Nigeria allocates approximately 5.4 trillion naira to defence and security in the 2026 budget, the largest sectoral allocation for the third consecutive year, reflecting what Tinubu has repeatedly described as the government’s highest priority. Despite those headline figures, lawmakers across multiple budget defence hearings have questioned whether bureaucratic constraints and irregular fund releases undermine the intended impact of security spending. Abdullahi said inadequate and delayed releases of funds, particularly capital allocations in the 2024 and 2025 budgets, have significantly weakened security operations nationwide. Several projects designed to strengthen intelligence gathering, surveillance infrastructure, logistics, and operational mobility were either not executed or only partially implemented, he said, warning that failure to fully implement capital votes has a ripple effect across the entire security architecture.
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Mohammed Sanusi, Permanent Secretary for Special Services at the Office of the National Security Adviser, corroborated the committee’s concerns during the session. “The envelope budgeting framework has posed significant challenges to our operations,” Sanusi stated, according to remarks provided to the committee. “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, emerging threats, and intelligence-driven operations that cannot be delayed by bureaucratic bottlenecks. The ONSA plays a coordinating role for multiple security and intelligence outfits, he noted, and its effectiveness is directly tied to the predictability and sufficiency of funding flows. The Senate’s criticism unfolded against a backdrop of mounting security pressures nationwide. Nigeria continues to grapple with insurgency in the Northeast, banditry and mass kidnappings in the Northwest and North-Central regions, separatist tensions in the Southeast, and oil theft and piracy in the Niger Delta. Despite significant annual allocations to defence and security, lawmakers and analysts have questioned whether the structure of releases and spending patterns aligns with operational realities on the ground.
Under the envelope budgeting system, ministries, departments, and agencies operate within predetermined spending ceilings based on projected revenues and fiscal constraints. The model is intended to promote discipline and macroeconomic stability, but critics argue it can stifle agencies that require flexibility, particularly in emergency-driven sectors such as security.
Senators at the session showed that the declaration of a national emergency on security ought to trigger exceptional funding measures rather than routine fiscal controls. They warned that a mismatch between threats on the ground and resources in the treasury could erode public confidence and embolden criminal networks. The Senate’s concerns about envelope budgeting extended beyond the ONSA session. During a separate budget defence hearing with the Accountant-General of the Federation last week, the Senate Committee on Finance suspended consideration of the office’s 2026 budget proposal, citing poor implementation of the 2025 budget and more than 2.2 trillion naira owed to contractors. Lawmakers called for an urgent review of the envelope budgeting framework and recommended adopting a performance-based budgeting system to enhance accountability and efficiency.
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In yet another session, the Senate Committee on Defence pressed Defence Minister Christopher Musa on delays in implementing the 2025 defence budget. Committee Chairman Ahmed Lawan warned that postponing defence spending could give insurgents and criminal groups a tactical advantage. “It is defence; you cannot postpone the implementation of the defence budget because that gives an edge to the enemy,” Lawan said.
The multiple budget defence confrontations have revealed a pattern of systemic frustration within the National Assembly over what lawmakers describe as a disconnect between policy declarations and fiscal realities. Although Tinubu has repeatedly assured Nigerians of his administration’s resolve to restore security, senators have argued that such commitments must be matched with adequate and timely funding.
Abdullahi assured the ONSA of stronger legislative backing to bolster Nigeria’s security framework. “We are committed to providing the necessary legislative support to ensure that our security architecture is strengthened,” he said, signaling a possible review of funding modalities during the ongoing 2026 budget consideration.
After extensive deliberations in open session, the committee proceeded into a closed-door meeting to scrutinize sensitive aspects of the ONSA budget proposal, including classified expenditure lines and operational requirements. The Senate is expected to complete budget defence sessions by late February before advancing the 58.47 trillion naira appropriation bill toward final passage, currently targeted for March 17.
