Nigeria accords the same regard for Cleaning as it does Research and Development. This is true for the Ministry of Defence who allocated ₦32.9m for Cleaning and Fumigation; earmarking ₦35.6m for Research & Development. This, however, pales in comparison to the importance the ministry placed on partying. Coming in at almost three times the sum, “owambe funds” stood at ₦80m.
- Cleaning and fumigation (₦32.9m) share equal importance with research and development (₦35.6m) per the Ministry of Defense;
- Anniversaries and celebrations, however, take the cake, gulping ₦80m in allocations;
- The revised 2020 budgets also saw a similar appropriation, with R&D (₦9.8m) coming in shy of one-quarter of “owambe funds” (₦37m);
- This shows a lack of foresight for innovation, technology, and research as tools for solving the country’s security challenges;
- Experts believe no nation cannot progress in the 21st century without innovation from research and development.
Si vis pacem, para bellum roughly translates into if you want peace, prepare for war. But it seems this rationale is lost on Nigeria’s defence agencies, who rather prepare for ‘owambe’. Portioning out ₦80.15 million for celebrations and anniversaries, leaving almost a third for research and development shows misplaced priorities.
Specifically, in the proposed budget, the ministry headed by Mr Bashir Magashi budgeted ₦35.6 million for research and development (R&D).
The Ministry of Defence oversees Nigerian Armed Forces
The bigger implication for this allocation does not just reside internally, but externally. After all, the Ministry of Defence is in charge of the activities of the Nigerian Armed Forces. So the question remains how effective training will be for the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, or Nigerian Air Force, with such a meagre sum?
Nigeria should not overemphasise the role of R&D in anything, no less security. This is especially true for the 21st century. In fact, experts have long maintained that no nation can protect her citizens without innovating its R&D. Even the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Prof. Suleiman Bogoro, emphasised the importance of R&D in security, citing that ‘warfare has gone digital and nuclear.’
But besides 2021’s misplaced allocations, perhaps this R&D problem may speak to past themes. This was the point freelance journalist and security analyst, Mr Alkasim Abdulkadir pointed out when identifying reasons for Nigeria’s military failures to combat Boko Haram. Alongside a deficit in infrastructure, Abdulkadir noted the fragmented command structure as some reasons for Nigeria’s security outlook.
Same story, different year
Interestingly, the revised 2020 budget also featured similar allocations. Coming in at ₦9.8 million for research and development, “Owambe funds” featured almost quadruple the sum at ₦37 million. Not to mention this sum excluded the ₦27.2 million earmarked for the annual Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebration.
Ministry of Defence: 2021 Budget of Misplaced Priorities
Besides the meagre allocation for research and development, Dataphyte’s analysis of the ₦840.6 billion budget for the Ministry of Defence shows other outrageous allocations. Chief amongst were Monitoring and Evaluation and Software acquisition, which gulped ₦87.7 million and a whopping ₦347.7 million. Even Cleaning and Fumigation came close to R&D at ₦32.97 million.
By and large, the Ministry of Defence 2021 budget allocations shows Nigeria is not ready. Not ready to fight security challenges within and without. What’s more, President Muhammadu Buhari also reduced the Ministry’s budget from ₦878.4 million in 2020 to ₦840.56 million. Meanwhile, the spate of banditry, kidnapping, and communal conflict shows no signs of dissipating.
“Learning is a continuum. It is about innovation and development. Research and Development are essentials for Nigeria’s security agencies to develop and compete with counterparts across Africa. But, instances have shown that most of Nigeria’s security personnel just go for training for certificate and promotion.”Mr Oluwaseyi Babaeko
Mr Babaeko said these appropriations spoke volumes about the corruption in Nigeria’s security apparatus. The counterterrorism strategist further queried why such a Ministry would budget more for ‘parties’ at the expense of research and development.