Civil Society Organisations, experts and stakeholders in Nigeria’s security sector have again raised concerns over the lack of accountability in Nigeria’s defence sector.
They noted that it is prolonging and worsening insecurity in the country.
They worried that the defence budget has continued to rise astronomically but failed to translate into sustainable security of lives due to pervasive corruption.
They explained that it is a major factor undermining the military’s ability to curb security challenges confronting the country.
This concern was raised at a one-day CSOs and media dialogue organised by the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) in collaboration with Transparency Defence and Security Program in Abuja.
In his opening remarks, Auwa Musa, executive director CISLAC/TI-Nigeria tasked citizens on the need to set an agenda for incoming political office holders, to reposition the sector to be more accountable as they head to the polls Saturday.
“In times past, we saw how corrupt cases such as that of the Dasuki Gate fizzled away. We also saw how the case with the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission was handled.
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In recent times, there have also been many other corrupt cases that made the media headlines but somehow, they just disappeared, and nothing was heard of them again.
“As we prepare to go to the polls again, we must be mindful of the fact that corruption cannot thrive in the defence and security sector only if we get it right in our choice of a democratic leadership”, he said.
The executive director reiterated that Nigeria suffers a high-risk incidence of corruption in the defence and security sector due to high level secrecy and opaqueness.
Freedom Onuoha, a professor in department of political science, University of Nigeria Nsukka, in his paper presentation titled an “Overview of Past and Current Defence and Security Corruption in Connection with Politics- the Gaps and Effects on Human Security ” noted that a total of N11.18 trillion was budgeted for security from 2015 to 2022, in addition to huge allocations from security votes, but Nigeria witnessed an unprecedented level of insecurity.
He said the gaps that drive corruption borders around procurement process, operation and personnel issues among others. He also highlighted other unaccountable payment systems across non-military engagements and commercial ventures and warned that they constitute unattended but serious threats to defence and security.
The expert warned that unchecked corruption in the sector contributes to funds mismanagement, prolonged violence threats, high casualty rate, personnel mental/health disorder, grave security risk, weak response to crisis, and repeated weapons diversion.
Onuoha also tasked the Nigerian government to institutionalise security votes, make it part of the budget for more accountability.
The CSOs and experts in a communique issued at the end of the dialogue called for adequate reforms and oversight of the defence sector to ensure total accountability, proper checks and balances in defence budget.
They also want the government to institutionalise whistleblowing mechanisms in the defence sector for anonymous reporting of suspected mismanagement, and amend the existing laws to address gaps and resolve ambiguous provisions disrupting civilian oversight, among others.
