Tinubu-era defence spending not shrouded in secrecy, IMPI insists

 

The Independent Media and Policy Initiative (IMPI) has said that there is more transparency in defence procurement on the watch of President Bola Tinubu.

 

In a policy statement signed by its Chairman Dr Omoniyi Akinsiju, the think tank said it came to that conclusion after making use of a platform set up by a civil society group for Nigerians to keep track of all expenditure in the public sector.

 

“We can establish that the secrecy that once cloaked past arms procurements no longer obtains. All government transactions are listed in detail on the portal, govspend, a civic tech platform that tracks and analyses federal Government’s spending.

 

“The portal listed government expenditure on arms, including N14bn on various military equipment between September and October 2024. At the same time, it shows that in the first seven months of 2024, the government spent N63.6bn to procure equipment and ammunition for the military and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

 

“Earlier, on April 16, 2024, the government, through the Ministry of Defence, paid N990m to a company, Equipment and Protective Applications International Limited, for the procurement of ammunition.

 

Similarly, on April 22, 2024, the ministry paid N941m to the same company for “the procurement of light tactical armoured vehicles, heavy anti-mine armoured vehicles, and ammunition for the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

 

“The defence ministry also paid N3.2bn for “the procurement of bullet-resistant guard booths with surveillance capacity and proximity detectors for the armed forces, on July 2, 2024.

 

The ministry also deployed N33bn in five tranches on July 26, 2024, through its Naira Transit Account, for the purchase of critical and urgent operational equipment for the military.

 

“A payment of N3bn was made on July 27, 2024, by the Defence Headquarters for “critical and urgent operational support to procure operational requirements (balance of 50 per cent of the 2023 supplementary appropriation).

 

“The government also made a N22bn payment to ONSA on July 31, 2024, as a special intervention for the procurement of essential equipment,” IMPI said.

 

The group, however, made a case for an independent oversight body to be saddled with the responsibility of ensuring funds are well utilized for functional military hardware.

 

It added that every foreign purchase must include after-sales agreements.