The President Muhammadu Buhari Federal Government, has been accused of rationing ammunition, and equipping frontline Soldiers of the Nigerian Army with old weapons,, to fight the very armed Fulani bandits, boko haram and ISWAP terrorists, .
The Senate Committee Chairman on Army, Senator Ali Ndume, brought this up to the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed.
He said: “I interact with the Soldiers, I have gone through the Formation, I cannot see a Soldier holding brand new AK47. It is so bad that the Nigerian Army is rationing ammunition among Soldiers. I can be quoted.
“In a budget of N13 trillion, you are allocating N30 billion.”
Senator Ndume made this known during an interactive session of his Committee with Representatives of the Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of Army Staff.
Lamenting on the poor funding of the Army, he wondered why the Nigerian Army received only N30 billion out of the nation’s 2021 budget of N13 trillion, describing it as unreasonable.
The Senator further stated that the only place he sees well-kitted Military men armed with new AK47 rifles in the country, is in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
He added: “As I said, I can be quoted: the only place I see new AK47 is in Abuja. That is necessary, because that is the image of Nigeria.
“Nigerians are looking forward to this meeting, hoping that we can resolve it, in terms of addressing the challenges of the Nigerian Army.”
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