Former Air Force Officer Critiques Nigeria’s Defence Budget Structure

A former spokesperson for the Nigerian Air Force, Sadeeq Shehu, has criticized the country’s defence budget. He said that poor planning and governance, not lack of funds, are hurting Nigeria’s security operations.

Mr. Shehu, a retired group captain, shared these views during an interview on ARISE News, which PREMIUM TIMES monitored on Thursday. He was looking at the federal government’s special security efforts and defence spending from 2023 to 2026.

He explained that simply increasing military spending would not boost Nigeria’s security unless the government improved how it planned, allocated, and used available resources.

The retired officer noted that Nigeria is spending a fair amount of its resources on defence but is not turning that spending into real operational strength.

“If you ask me, proportionate to what Nigeria is earning from its foreign trade and everything from petrol, I think we are spending right as far as amount is concerned. The problem is the plan and where do we put the money. The problem is also a governance issue,” he said.

His comments come at a time when Nigeria is facing ongoing security problems, including insurgency, banditry, and other violent crimes, even with significant government funds allocated to defence and security.

Mr. Shehu pointed to the 2026 defence budget as proof of the problem. He said too much of the budget is going to personnel costs instead of crucial military needs.

He revealed that the N3.154 trillion defence budget allocates N2.4 trillion, or 75.9 percent, to personnel expenses, while overhead costs take up 9.4 percent, roughly N297 billion.

He questioned how the military could get enough equipment, maintain current operations, train personnel, and modernize if so much of its budget goes to personnel costs.

“This is where the major problem is. And I do not see either the executive branch or even the legislature attacking this,” he said.

The former air force spokesperson believes that Nigeria's defence budget requires a clearer breakdown to show how much is spent on specific military needs.

He said the current practice of grouping spending into personnel, overhead, and capital costs hides the actual funding available for buying equipment, maintenance, training, military infrastructure, and research.

He insisted that better defence budgeting methods would clarify spending categories. This would help the government find operational gaps and focus resources on what is most important.

“What global best practice has shown us is that the only thing that comes out from this budget is personnel cost. You will wonder, where is equipment? Where is maintenance? Where is training? A paltry less than 25 percent is allocated to the two of them. This is not good enough,” he said.

Mr. Shehu warned that without proper planning, Nigeria could keep spending large amounts on defence without fixing the military’s biggest needs.

He said a poorly structured budget could leave essential requirements unfunded while wastefully spending on less important areas.

“If you don’t plan your defence budget properly, you are likely to leave things that are essential and put money where they are not essential. That is the point I want to make,” he said.

He also doubts whether the presidency and the National Assembly can properly review defence spending. He said the current budget setup does not give enough details for effective oversight.

According to him, lawmakers and government officials need a clearer idea of the military's needs to ensure that budget allocations match actual security priorities.

“If you just leave it into these three, you know, three subheads, personnel, capital and overhead, you will never get the proper picture. And I can assure you from my research, the National Assembly and even the presidency, they do not have really a clear picture of what the defence budget is all about,” he said.

Mr. Shehu’s views suggest that Nigeria’s issues may be more about how it spends on defence than the amount spent. It is about whether the budget is set up to provide the equipment, training, maintenance, and operational strength needed to tackle the nation's security challenges.

He insists that improving defence planning and governance, rather than just increasing military funding, should be the focus to strengthen Nigeria’s security operations.