Former Senate President Ahmed Lawan has urged President Bola Tinubu’s government to place the annual budget for the Nigerian Armed Forces and security agencies on a first-line charge.

Mr Lawan, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Defence, made the call in his goodwill message at the Defence Correspondents Association of Nigeria (DECAN) Conference 2026 on Monday in Abuja.

The conference theme is “Beyond Kinetic Warfare: Harnessing Technology and Intelligence-led Operations for Nigeria’s National Security”.

The senator said a country’s security is not the business of uniformed personnel alone but requires everyone to contribute what is necessary.

“The rest of us who are not in uniform must at all times recognise the fact that those in uniform, particularly our Armed Forces and other security agencies, are making very huge and massive sacrifices to keep this country safe,” he said.

Mr Lawan commended Mr Tinubu for making more resources available to the armed forces and other security agencies, saying it shows how the administration prioritises keeping Nigeria safe.

“We may not be where we want to be, but I am convinced from what I know that we are making huge progress to keep Nigeria safe.

“The credit should go to our armed forces for making all the sacrifices. No matter how much we give them, it may not be enough. But they still try hard to work with that little that we give them,” he said.

The lawmaker said the National Assembly has a duty to support the executive arm of government and ensure that the armed forces and security agencies receive the resources they need.

Mr Lawan said in his over 27 years as a member of the National Assembly, he had not seen any request sent by the executive for the armed forces and other security agencies that was not approved.

“In fact, in most cases, they were always increased because we believe that security is first. We all know constitutionally that the security and welfare of citizens is the essence of government.

“Therefore, we will continue to support our work with the executive arm of government to ensure that the resources that we have within our constraints are made available for our security agencies and armed forces,” he said.

Mr Lawan suggested that with improved revenues, government should dedicate a certain percentage of resources to procure more platforms and weapons in bulk for the Armed Forces.

“I believe that this is one way of ensuring that our armed forces are better supported because you cannot send someone to go out and fight with little and, of course expect much success,” he said.

He said the National Assembly is considering making budgets for the armed forces and other security agencies a first-line charge to address challenges of budget releases and other resource constraints.

(NAN)