”I want to particularly call on the Senate to include this in the 2024 budget before passing it for assent by the president,” he said.
As of Tuesday, the number of casualties has increased to 162 as more bodies were recovered.
Mr Lawal emphasised the need for collective action to ensure peace and stability in the state.
“They are also hampered by insufficient manpower, the APCs, and patrol vehicles.”
Governor Seyi Makinde on Monday signed an executive order to protect mining communities in the state against insecurity and exploitation.
“I asked myself, the police, the DSS and all the security agencies, are they not aware of the number of guns circulating in Kogi? Will they claim ignorance?
He identified poor data gathering and implementation as reasons poverty alleviation programmes had failed in Nigeria.
The troops were said to have also rescued 10 kidnapped hostages, while a total of 63 Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists and their families surrendered to troops.
According to him, they have visited Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ondo and Edo.
The minister added that President Bola Tinubu is aware of the challenges of Nigeria’s higher education and fully prepared to confront them headlong.
