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By Tracy Moses
The Joint Committees of the Nigerian Senate and House of Representatives on Air Force have unanimously rejected the 2026 budget proposal of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), declaring it inadequate to confront Nigeria’s worsening security challenges.
The decision was taken during a joint budget defence session convened to review the 2025 budget performance and examine the 2026 proposals presented by the Air Force leadership.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Air Force, Senator Osita Ngwu, and his House counterpart, Rt. Hon. Kabiru Alhassan Rurum, said after extensive deliberations, lawmakers found the proposed allocation insufficient to sustain the operational capacity and firepower required to tackle insurgency, banditry and other emerging threats across the country.
They maintained that the allocation contained in the draft budget would not enable the Air Force to effectively discharge its constitutional responsibility of safeguarding national security.
“We had a joint committee session with the leadership of the Nigerian Air Force on the 2025 budget performance and 2026 budget proposals. After extensive deliberations, we unanimously rejected the budget as presented by the Executive,” Rurum told journalists after the meeting.
“The Air Force requires substantial funding to prepare adequately against insurgency, banditry and other forms of criminality.
We have therefore resolved to set up a six-member committee to liaise with the chairmen of both committees and the Director-General of the Budget Office to ensure that adequate funds are provided for the Air Force to function effectively,” he added.
To address the funding gap, the Joint Committees resolved to constitute a six-member technical committee to engage the Federal Government, the Budget Office of the Federation and the leadership of the National Assembly in order to develop a more realistic and sustainable funding framework for the Air Force.
The committee is expected to review the current proposal and facilitate the re-presentation of an improved budget for consideration and approval.
Earlier in its presentation, the Air Force had appealed for upward adjustments across major expenditure components in the 2026 fiscal year.
For personnel emoluments, the NAF requested ₦300,848,427,034.00, compared to ₦229,897,541,932.00 in the draft budget.
Under overhead costs, it sought ₦138,675,013,403.00 as against ₦66,575,453,013.00 earlier allocated.
Similarly, for capital expenditure, the Air Force proposed ₦230,674,045,185.00, in contrast to ₦110,674,045,185.00 contained in the draft.
NAF leadership explained that the additional funding was necessary to enhance operational readiness, maintain critical infrastructure, procure modern equipment and improve personnel welfare in response to evolving security demands.
The Joint Committees, however, insisted that the funding framework must be strengthened to ensure the Air Force is adequately equipped to protect the nation and respond decisively to emerging threats.