2025 Budget: Lawmakers push for police funding reform amidst rowdy session
A tense budget defense session with the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has reignited calls in the National Assembly for a comprehensive reform of the Nigeria Police Force’s funding framework.
During the session, lawmakers criticized the envelope budgeting system, describing it as inadequate for addressing the operational and security needs of the police.
Many federal lawmakers expressed concerns that insufficient funding continues to hinder the police’s ability to perform its duties effectively.
In his presentation, IGP Kayode Egbetokun highlighted how limited funding restricts operational planning and undermines service efficiency. However, the session turned dramatic when the Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Peter Onyekachi Nwebonyi, raised an objection.
Nwebonyi alleged discrepancies between the budget document presented by the IGP and the version given to committee members. “We are here to serve Nigerians, and Nigerians should see us as a serious institution. I am not opposing the IGP’s presentation, but as a senator, I should have the same document the IGP is reading from. At the moment, the document he has is different from mine,” Nwebonyi insisted.
The committee chairman, Senator Abdulhamid Ahmed, explained that the leadership had permitted the IGP to present a summarized version of his submission. “It is our decision within the committee leadership to allow the IGP to summarize his presentation,” Ahmed clarified.
Despite this explanation, Nwebonyi demanded that all members receive identical copies of the document being presented. When the issue was put to a vote, the majority of committee members supported allowing the IGP to continue with his abridged presentation.
Frustrated by the outcome, Nwebonyi walked out of the session, followed by others shouting, “Leave, leave.”
Later, Hon. Stanley Adedeji, Chairperson of ICT in the House of Representatives, advocated for a more flexible budgeting system. He argued that such a change would better equip the police to tackle national security challenges and improve communication infrastructure.
