2025 budget: Ministry of Environment to spend N1bn on security

Not less than N1.2bn would be expended on security and electricity in the Ministry Department and Agencies (MDAs) of the Ministry of Environment in 2025, the Appropriation Bill has stated.

A total figure of N1,253,034,621 (one billion, two hundred and fifty-three million, thirty-four thousand, six hundred and twenty-one naira) has been proposed by the 20 agencies in the ministry from different parts of the country, Tribune Online reports.

In the proposal, security charges, security operations, and the purchase of security equipment will cost the MDAs N1,043,729,107 (one billion, forty-three million, seven hundred and twenty-nine thousand, one hundred and seven naira).

Electricity charges alone stand at N209,305,514 (two hundred and nine million, three hundred and five thousand, five hundred and fourteen naira).

Dissecting the pattern of the proposed expenditure by the MDAs in the Ministry of Environment, a total sum of N599,120,308 will be ploughed into the purchase of security equipment.

Leading in this expenditure is the National Park Headquarters, which has budgeted N280,285,800 for the purchase of security equipment.

This is followed by the Chad Basin National Park, which proposes to spend N100m on security equipment.

Three other parks, the Kainji National Park, the Oyo National Park, and the Gashaka Gumti National Park, each propose to spend N70 million if they secure the nod of the National Assembly and the presidential assent.

Dwarfing the mother ministry on security expenditure is the Forestry Research Institute, which proposes to expend N80,200,000. It is closely followed by the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), which proposes N64,766,000.

Among the big spenders on security charges is the mother ministry. Dwarfed to third place in spending for security charges, it has a budget of N55,000,000.

Thirty-eight million, fifty-nine thousand, five hundred Naira as a budget for the Federal College of Forest Resource Management, Sakponba, Edo State, South-South earned her the place of the fourth-highest spender in the ministry on security charges.

Coming fifth in paying security charges in the Ministry of Environment is the College of Wildlife New Bussa with a budget of N37,000,000.

Others are the College of Forestry, Maiduguri, Ebonyi, the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW).

The electricity bill for the mother ministry, according to the 2025 Appropriation Bill, would cost N58,118,742. The College of Forestry Jos has a N23,000,000 budget proposal for electricity bills.

The National Park Headquarters has N20,100,000 budgeted for the electricity bill in the 2025 fiscal year.

Proposing an expenditure of N17,557,481 for the electricity bill is the Forestry Research Institute Ibadan. While the Forest Mechanisation College of Afaka proposes an expenditure of N14,000,000 for the electricity bill in 2025.

Others among the top eight spenders above N10 million for electricity in 2025 are the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW), N13,120,000, and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), N12,150,000.

While the Kainji National Park plans to expend N10,200,000, the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) headquarters budgets N9,058,267 for expenditure.

Other MDAs plan to expend between N500,000 and N5m for the electrical bills, the budget documents showed.

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