The House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence on Wednesday expressed concern that funding for the intelligence sector does not reflect President Bola Tinubu’s stated commitment to strengthening national security.
The committee made the observation during the 2026 budget defence session with agencies under its oversight.
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it argued that allocations and releases fall short of the administration’s declared security priorities.
Mr Tinubu had presented a N58 trillion 2026 Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly in December 2025, proposing N5.41 trillion for defence and security.
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In his address to a joint session, he pledged to modernise the armed forces, strengthen intelligence-driven policing, enhance border security and reset the country’s counter-terrorism framework.
However, the committee said figures available to it do not align with those assurances.
Chairman of the committee, Ahmed Satomi (APC, Borno), stated that the intelligence sub-sector comprising the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and its centres, the State Security Service (SSS), the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the Presidential Air Fleet and the National Institute for Security Studies received allocations that appeared inadequate.
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According to him, the intelligence sector’s proposed allocation for 2026 covers personnel, overhead and capital expenditure, with personnel costs put at N245.94 billion, overheads at N131.27 billion and capital expenditure at N286.90 billion.
He described the overall funding profile as “abysmal” and inconsistent with the president’s policy pronouncements.
Mr Satomi further noted that releases under the 2025 budget raised additional concerns, saying available records did not suggest that security and intelligence were being prioritised in actual disbursements.
“If indeed the provision of welfare and security is the primary purpose of governance, then releases to the security sector should not be treated trivially,” he said.
The committee appealed to the president to review and enhance funding to intelligence agencies to enable them meet growing security challenges.
Mr Satomi also warned security agencies against resisting legislative oversight, stressing that the Constitution empowers the National Assembly to make laws and supervise agencies implementing them.
He said oversight should not be misconstrued as hostility, but seen as a constitutional mechanism to ensure transparency, accountability and value for money.
‘Operational constraints’
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Special Services, ONSA, Mohammed Sanusi, while presenting the 2025 budget performance and the 2026 proposal, highlighted operational constraints facing the intelligence community.
He cited irregular release of overhead funds, non-release of capital allocations and foreign exchange pressures as major challenges.
Mr Sanusi explained that “many service agreements are denominated in foreign currency, with exchange rate volatility significantly increasing operational costs.” He noted that the maintenance of the Presidential Air Fleet abroad, rather than at its local hangar, has further escalated expenses.
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He said the intelligence community’s priorities for 2026 include tackling terrorism, banditry and kidnapping through intelligence-led operations, protecting oil and gas assets, strengthening maritime and border security, enhancing cybersecurity and curbing the proliferation of small arms across the West African corridor.
In view of the recent declaration of a state of emergency on national security, Mr Sanusi called for improved and timely releases, including the possibility of a supplementary budget, to enable swift response to emerging threats.
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