The chairman of the House of Representatives committee on army, Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas has lament what he described as “perpetual gross inadequacy in appropriation for the Nigerian Army particularly its capital cost which ideally should have been given prominence given the prevailing security challenges” in the country.

Namdas who chaired the Nigerian army 2021 budget defence at the National Assembly Thursday engaged the Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. ATukur Buratai who was represented by his Chief of policy and planning, Lt. Gen. L.O Adeosun on the Nigerian army 2020 budget performance appraisal and the 2021 budget defence.

Hon. Namdas who is worried over the low budget allotted to the army said ” in 2020 Budget, NASS appropriated 463,409,071.588 covering N408b for Recurrent, N20b for overhead and N34b Capital cost.”

He said out of the over N500b appropriated in the 2021 budget, only N27b was proposed for its capital expenditure.

Expressing his further worry on funding of the security sector especially its capital cost, the House Committee chairman further emphasized that only 51% of the amount appropriated for capital cost in 2020 was released which is quite alarming.

Hon. Namdas commended the leadership and the entire men and women of the Nigerian Army for their resilience despite the numerous challenges bedevilling them and promised its committees’ ever determination to prevail on the authorities concern for an improved appropriation especially with the capital cost and also ensure the release of the outstanding 49% capital cost in the 2020 Budget with a view to enhancing their performance.