Nigerian Army seeks upward review of training, doctrine command budgetary allocation in 2022

The Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) of the Nigerian Army in Minna, Niger State has requested an upward review of its 2022 budget from N26.2 billion to N38.8 billion.

TRADOC Commander, Major-General Stephenson Olabanji, made the request when he appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Army to defend the budget.

While giving a breakdown he disclosed that N38.8 billion should be approved for Personnel Emolument for the year 2022 budget as against N25.5 billion proposed in the budget.

He said that N4.9 billion should be approved for overhead as against N200 million, while N7.4 billion should be approved for capital projects as against N544 million.

According to him, “TRADOC is committed to training very mobile, dynamic, fierce, gallant and ever-ready Nigerian youths into the Nigerian Army, who wish to defend the territorial integrity of their fatherland from any external violation and internal disturbances as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution.”

He said in preparing the 2022 budget, TRADOC is expected to commission about 3, 885 cadets into the officer’s cadre, enlist about 18, 000 recruits as other ranks and a further Special Forces training of about 4800 amongst those commissioned and other rank cadres.

He added that in 2021 the percentage of the performance of TRADOC for personnel emolument, overhead and capital was 75 percent, 75 percent and 61.50 percent as of September 2021.

While speaking, the Chairman of the Committee, Hon Abdulrazaq Namadas, stated that in view of the current security challenges bedevilling the country, TRADOC should pay more attention to training army officers and men in counter-terrorism and banditry.

According to him, “we are worried about the spate of banditry across the country. That’s why we feel that attention should be paid to banditry and also terrorism. That was also why the National Assembly decided to pass a resolution urging the President of the Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari to designate bandits as terrorists so that the security forces can have more power to deal with the situation.

“Yesterday, we went on an oversight visit to the Nigerian Army Women Corps. We were impressed by the high level of professionalism displayed by the corps. However, we urged you to train them more so that the corps can do all the assignments given to them.

“We are aware that the corps has done so much in covering the Abuja-Kaduna highway. As a Committee, we will continue to support the army to achieve their goals but we shall insist that funds provided must be judiciously utilized in order to earn the trust of Nigerians and boost the morale of soldiers and officers in the army.”

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