The Minister of Police Affairs, Mr Mohammed Dingyadi says the sum of N871.30 billion earmarked for police operations in the 2023 budget is inadequate.
Dingyadi made this known when he appeared for the 2023 budget defence on Tuesday in Abuja before a joint session of the National Assembly Committees on Police Affairs.
The minister said that the amount allocated to the ministry and its parastatals to ensure security of lives and property is inadequate.
Dingyadi said that of the total 2023 budgetary allocation, the sum N3.52 billion was for the operations of the main ministry.
He said that for Formations and Commands of the Nigerian Police Force, N805.5 billion was allocated.
The minister said that the Police Academy is to get N5.17 billion while the Nigerian Police Trust Fund gets N57.14 billion, making a total N871.30 billion.
“Despite the out cry of the ministry’s 2022 budget size, there is no significant improvement in the budgetary provisions.
“It is obvious that though it is demanded of the ministry is to carry out its its mandate which isbto ensure the security ofbkives and properties in Nigeria, the provisions proposed for this task especially for the ministry and Police Academy in 2023 are considered inadequate.
“While we shall continue to appreciate the innovations taken to fund the police, the ministry looks up to the parliament to intervene and improve the funding for the implementation of this essential mandate,” he said.
On the 2022 budget performance, Dingyadi said that the total releases to the ministry in 2022 was N1.71 billion of which N291.6 million was for overhead and N1.4 billion is for capital expenditures.
The minister explained that the releases for capital expenditures was being used for critical projects saying that some are ongoing.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Police Affair, Sen. Halliru Jika commended the minister for the so many achievements of the ministry despite paucity of funds.
