Nigeria’s worsening security situation is being compounded by significant funding gaps in the armed forces, with new budget performance data showing low capital releases for defence equipment and related needs, according to the Federal Government’s Open Treasury Portal.
Data from the 2025 budget performance published on the portal showed that of the N20.56bn allocated to the Nigerian Army for the purchase of security equipment, only N1.46bn, representing 7.11%, was disbursed as of December 31, 2025.
While signing the N68.32 trillion 2026 Appropriation Bill into law, President Bola Tinubu also extended the implementation of the 2025 budget to June 31, 2026, amid growing concerns over funding pressures and rising debt, which stood at N159.28 trillion in December 2025, alongside a fresh $6 billion loan approved by the Senate.
Further breakdown of the 2025 implementation showed that the Nigerian Army received N1.17 trillion out of its N4.52 trillion budget, representing 25.94%, while the Nigerian Air Force got N238.32 billion out of N1.25 trillion, or 19.04%.
Of the N336.76 billion earmarked for Army defence equipment, only N16.71 billion was released (4.96%). Key operational areas also recorded poor performance, including training, fuel, logistics, and infrastructure, with several budget lines receiving minimal or no disbursement.
For the Air Force, N4.85 billion was released for aircraft maintenance (13.98%), while procurement and repair of defence equipment also remained low. In contrast, funding for the presidential air fleet was almost fully released at 97.76%.
Several critical defence items, including infrastructure projects, welfare packages, and transport fuel costs, recorded zero releases during the period.
