•IG canvasses removal of police from envelope budgetary regime
CHIGOZIE AMADI
Members of the National Assembly, NASS, opted for a noisy shouting match yesterday at the 2025 budget defence session when the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, was presenting details of the last year’s budget of the Nigeria Police Force.
Meanwhile, in defending the 2025 budget for the police before the Joint Committees on Police Affairs and Police Institutions at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja, Egbetokun stressed the need to remove the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), from the envelope budgetary regime to allow for accurate funding projections.
He explained that this adjustment would enable greater flexibility and ensure the availability of funds to manage the force more effectively.
Still, in another budget defence-related development, the National Assembly Joint Committee on Agricultural Production and Services issued a stern warning that agencies under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security risk receiving zero budget allocations for 2025 if their chief executive officers fail to appear in person to defend their budget estimates.
Trouble started in the NASS when Egbetokun, was giving a breakdown of funds used for the construction of five zonal police headquarters in the country.
The IGP had barely started his presentation when a member of the House of Representatives, Mark Esset from Akwa Ibom interjected – questioning why the details of what the IGP read is not contained in the document given to him.
But it was Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi – a member of the All Progressives Congress and Principal Officer that turned on the heat, insisting that as a senator he should have the appropriate copy of what the IGP dished out to them.
Nwebonyi said: “We are here to serve Nigerians and Nigerians should see us as a very serious institution.
“We are not against the presentation of the IGP. But I, as the Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, should have a copy of what the IGP is reading.”
Efforts to explain his intention were thwarted as members of the joint committee shouted him down.
Nwebonyi’s spirited efforts to raise his Point of Order was overruled by the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Police Affairs, Honourable Abubakar Makki Yalleman, as he asked the IGP to continue with his presentation.
Nwoebonyi angrily packed his belongings and stormed out of the budget defence exercise.
He kept exchanging hot words with mostly House of Representatives members who jeered at him as he took his exit.
A member of the House of Representatives, Hon Yusuf Gagdi, who represents Panshin/Kanam/Kanke Federal Constituency of Plateau State, was apparently disappointed at what played out.
He explained that the committee’s decision to allow the IGP to continue to speak was in line with established parliamentary procedures.
He added that it is completely out of place for lawmakers to interject when they do not have the floor.
When the dust simmered down – the IGP continued his presentation. On recruitment, Egbetokun disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has increased the yearly quota from 10,000 to 30,000 and that this will greatly improve the Force’s performance.
He urged the National Assembly to help the police deliver on its mandate “otherwise we depend only on the budgetary allocation.
“We are glad that this committee has identified the gross underfunding of the police,” he said.
While defending the 2025 budget for the police before the Joint Committees on Police Affairs and Police Institutions at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja, Egbetokun also advocated the need for the approval and creation of a special operations account dedicated solely to national security emergencies, as well as an increase in allocations for overhead and capital expenditure.
He further called for the allocation of funds for the construction of five new zonal headquarters, along with supporting tactical units critical to internal security.
He said this is in addition to the approval of dedicated budget lines for police training institutions to enhance capacity building.
The IGP also stressed that the prompt and full release of appropriated funds in 2025 budget would be essential for the smooth functioning of the entire force.
He expressed his gratitude to the Joint Committees for their engagement during the critical budgetary session.
He reiterated the force’s commitment to working collaboratively with the committees to reposition the NPF, aligning it with the shared vision of a secure and stable nation.
Also, the IGP issued a comprehensive policy directive following a recent conference with heads of police investigation units nationwide.
He further directed a strict implementation of the Child Rights Act 2003 and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The new directive, Force Spokesperson said, is a significant move by the IGP to improve police professionalism and the standardization of criminal investigations across Nigeria.
Egbetokun stressed this initiative aims to refine investigative practices and ensure that all personnel involved in criminal investigations are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to perform their duties effectively.
His words: “The key components of the new policy include a strict process for the mobilisation and demobilisation of police personnel within and outside criminal investigation departments.
“Specialised detective training has been made mandatory for all investigative personnel, with officers who complete the training to be certified and officially recognized as detectives”.
He added that all personnel in investigation units will be required to participate in annual detective workshops and undergo training programs at the Force Intelligence Training School in Share, Kwara State.
The Force Spokesperson said that this initiative underscored the commitment of the IG to ensure the Nigerian Police Force have enhanced quality of investigation and uphold the highest standards of professionalism in upholding the law.
He noted that the police remain dedicated to ensuring international best practices and respecting the rights of every individual.
Meanwhile, the NASS joint committee decision on the Federal Ministry of Agriculture was announced on Thursday as part of efforts of the lawmakers to ensure accountability and transparency in the budgeting process while emphasizing the importance of direct engagement with the heads of these agencies to address critical issues and justify their proposed allocations.
Chairman of the Senate Committee, Senator Saliu Mustapha and his House of Representatives counterpart, Hon. Bello Kaoje, during their remarks lamented that despite the directive of the president for all heads of agencies to appear before the National Assembly to defend their budget, some of them choose to travel at this critical time.
The lawmakers’ displeasure was as a result of the absence of the Director General of the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service Dr. Vincent Isegbe, during the budget defence session of the agency.
Senator Mustapha told the representative of the Director General that there was no reason for the chief executive who is the accounting officer not to appear before them and ordered that he appear to defend his budget estimates latest Monday, January 20.
Mustapha further said: “We are not going to attend to you. When the president came to present this budget, he made it clear that all heads of agencies must come to defend their estimates and should therefore call off any plan to travel.
“We are going to give him another time, but that may not be too convenient for him because we have a time frame to submit our report”
“We should all make this thing easy for ourselves. There is no need for us to drag what we don’t need to drag. Even if he is coming to take excuse, he should have been here to say these are the people that will do this thing on my behalf.
“At the end of the day, we will ask you certain questions and you will not be able to answer them. Are we supposed to be taking those kind of excuses? You may wish to excuse us and tell him that we are giving him 48 hours to report.
“The president made it very clear that nobody should travel when he came to present the budget and it is now that he will start traveling. So. tell him that we are available tomorrow and the best we will give him to appear”
Earlier, Senator Mustapha said the projections by the World Food Programme that about 33.1 million Nigerians will be in acute hunger in 2025 is a clear indication that food security is not something that the nation should toy with.
His words: “The projection by the World Food Programme that about 33.1 million Nigerians will face food insecurity in 2025 is an indication that food crisis is what we cannot allow to happen and we collectively need to avert.
“Given the critical role that agriculture plays in ensuring food security, economic stability and rural development, it important that adequate budgetary provisions be made to address the challenges the sector faces today.
“The combined effect of climate change, desertification and other environmental challenges put agricultural productivity under severe threat necessitating improved budgetary allocation to the sector”
Mustapha expressed concern about the soaring prices of agricultural produce across the country and that food is no longer within the reach of the average Nigerians.
He said: “this situation requires the readjustment of our focus and the policy we made and dedicate our energies to what will improve our yield and increase food production.
“Both the Senate and House of Reps observe with concern the ratio of capital allocation to recurrent expenditure in the budget estimate before us. The responsibility and repositioning of the agricultural sector and returning it to its glorious days lies within us here.”
Also, chairman of the House Committee on Agricultural Services and Production, Bello Kaoje, warned against agencies failing to come forward to defend their budget.
Kaoje said: “Because of the importance of the budgetary provisions, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria appeared before a joint session of the National Assembly to present the budget. So, there is no reason for any head of agency not to appear before the parliament at this critical time.
“You are not the accounting officer. If you are asked any question in the budget, can you defend it? We are giving your agency 48 hours to appear before the parliament or else, you will have zero allocation in your budget. Food security is one of the challenges facing the country today, leading to the president declaring a state of emergency on food security in 2024.
“Sometime last year, Mr. President declared a state of emergency on food security. We have had a robust discussion with the Minister of Agriculture who enumerated a lot of challenges before us and we assured him that the two committees will do something to make sure that the budget is enhanced.
“We will do everything possible to ensure that where you have challenges, we can assist. We will put our heads together with the appropriation committee to make sure that the renewed hope agenda of the President is achieved in the area of food security.”
