NASS may exempt Police from envelope budgeting system, as defence go rowdy

The National Assembly joint Committee may recommend the exemption of Police funding from envelope budgeting system so as to avoid fixed amount to be allocated.

This was at the backdrop of rowdy session during the 2025 budget defence which the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Eg­betokun, appeared with his team on Thursday to defend budget of the Nigeria Police Force.

The Committee was weighing this option in the belief it will solve the inadequate funding of Police amid dauting security challenges confronting the nation.

Earlier in his address, the IGP lamented inadequate funding of Police which has posed operational constraints, a development that was concord by many members of Police Affairs Committee.

While the IGP was presenting the budget, the Senate Deputy Chief Whip, Senator Peter Onyekachi Nwebonyi, through a point of order point out that he was given a different copy of the Police budget document.

“We are here to serve Nigerians, and Nigerians should see us as a very serious institution. We are not against the presentation by the IGP but I as a senator should have what the IGP is reading.

“At the moment, what the IGP is reading is different from what I have with me,” he said.

At that point, the Chairman of the Committee admitted that the leadership of the Committee has allowed the IGP to read an abridged copy.

“It is our decision within the committee leadership to allow the IG to summarise his presentation,” but the aggrieved Nwebonyi in­sisted on distribution of the right copies to Committee members.

The development degenerated to chaos as the Chairman of the Committee put the decision to vote for the IGP to continue and Nwebonyi stormed out of budget session in protest.

The committee chairman amid the confusion put the matter to vote and majority of the members agreed that the IGP should continue with his abridged presentation.

Nwebonyi immediately rose in annoyance, saying, “I will then leave”, as he packed his files and walked out of the committee room with other members chanting “leave, leave.”

Hon. Stanley Adedeji, Chair­man, ICT, House of Representatives, argued that a more flexible budget­ing approach would better support the police in enhancing national se­curity and effective communication.