“Buhari Regime Leads In Military Equipment Spending”

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, Politics Thursday, January 15th, 2015

A comparative study of the amount spent by various governments on military hardware as part of total defence budget has revealed that the Buhari administration spent more than the Yar’adua/Jonathan administration in real terms.

The report exposes the falsehood in the statement credited to President Goodluck Jonathan during his campaign in Lagos that the Buhari administration did not equip the military.

Published in the Journal of African Macroeconomic Review, Volume 2 Number 1, the study, titled “Comparative Regime Analysis of the Trend and Structure of Military Expenditure in Nigeria, 1980-2010″, the report revealed that while the Buhari/Idiagbon spent 38.68 of total allocation to the military on capital items such as military hardware between January 1984 and August 1985 when it was overthrown, the Yar’adua/Jonathan administration spent 34.67 percent of military budget between May 2007 and May 2010.

The authors- Anyawu Sarah, Egwaikhide Chris and Aiyedogbon John Olu Coris- observed as follows:” Buhari/Idiagbon in 1983 also allocated 38.68 percent and 61.32 percent for capital milex and recurrent respectively.They spent approximately 16 months.

The Ibrahim Babangida regime (1985-1993) spent 19.58 percent on capital milex and 80.42 on recurrent milex.

Abacha/Shonekan/Abdulsalam (1993-1999) regime expended 24.10 percent on capital milex and 75.9 percent on recurrent milex.

The civilian administration of Olusegun Obasanjo (1999-2007) for a period of 8 years, spent 17.44 percent of her total milex on capital milex and 82.56 percent on recurrent milex.

Yar’adua/Jonathan (2008-2010) had so far spent 34.67 percent on capital milex and 65.33 percent on recurrent.”

Milex refers to military expenditure. Other studies show that since Jonathan took over the reins of leadership, the capital budget for military hardware has been decreasing while recurrent has been increasing.

For instance, analysing the 2012 defence spending as proposed by the Jonathan administration, All Progressives Congress chieftain and now governorship candidate for Kaduna State, Mallam Nassir El-Rufai observed: ” When one carefully peruses the capital budgets of the DHQ and Army, most of the capital spending is going towards buildings, some ammunition and vehicle spares. This year, we are not buying any equipment for the armoured, artillery and other mechanisation needs of the Army – at least not anywhere in the Budget. The Navy and Air Force are slightly better. The Navy is buying two (yes only two) offshore patrol vessels and six coastal patrol boats and some spares. The Air Force intends to acquire 12 Augusta 109 helicopters, some uniforms, the reactivation of C-130, G222, Alpha Jets and maintenance, and some buildings. No new fighter jets this year!”

The situation is worse in the recently signed Budget 2014 which allocates 90 percent of military expenditure to salaries and other recurrent needs while a meagre 10 percent goes to military hardware.

Nigerian academics based in the US put total 2014 defence budget at $5.86billion dollars out of which total capital budget is 589.2million dollars ( approximately 10 percent at 160 Naira to Dollar). The allocation to various arms is as follows: Army- $4.36m; Nigerian Security Adviser- $5.23m to purchase security equipment; State Security Service-$2.19m to buy firearms and ammunition and the Nigeria Airforce- $1.79 million to buy M1-34/35 helicopters and another $11.6million to buy six M1-35m helicopters.

From the above analysis, it has become clear that the Boko Haram insurrection has become business for the Jonathan administration as its hirelings and profiteers have turned a national tragedy to a commercial venture. The Boko Haram insurrection has become an opportunity, not to suppress those waging war against our fatherland but to starve the military of adequate weaponry while spending critical resources on recurrent needs.

This explains why President Jonathan is busy looking for scapegoats and excuses instead of doing the duty the Constitution demands of him: protect the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

As President, Muhammadu Buhari will demonstrate his patriotism and technical skill by saving Nigeria from the threat of internal insurrection. Indeed, his emergence as President on February 14, 2015 by the grace of God will send the right signal to those waging war against Nigeria that a true and competent Commander -in-Chief of the Armed Forces has arrived. It will boost the morale of our soldiers, that at last, a general who understands their challenges and shares their anxiety has arrived; it will awaken the esprit de corps in our military establishment to mount the final and total operation to liberate the people of Chibok, and Nigerians in general from the threat of violence and death.

Dele Alake, Director, Strategic Communications, Buhari Campaign Organisation