With well over 2,000 specialized staff, and over 2,000 Cadet officers that have to be well kitted and trained in line with international standards and best practices, there is need for improved funding for over head costs to keep the Nigerian Defence Academy in good shape
Commandant of the Academy, Major General Adeniyi Oyebade made this disclosure in continuation of Budget defence by MDAs at the National Assembly, on Thursday 28 March 2019 when the NDA defended its 2019 budget proposals.
The budget defenve which started on Wednesday saw the Commandant accompanied by management team of the Academy including the Deputy Commandant giving details of proposed capital and re-current expenditure.
The budget defence session kicked off with the presentation by the commandant on 2018 budget performance on expenditures.
Thereafter questions and clarifications were asked by members of the committee.
In his presentation proper, Major -General Oyebade, told the Senate that the premier military training school was suffering shortfalls of well over N1.3billion in budgetary releases by the Ministry of Finance.
He lamented that the shortfalls had made it almost impossible for the Military Institution to pay non regular allowances to its personnel, noting that allowances affected by the N1.3billion shortfall in 2018 budget releases included hazard, responsible and excess workload allowances.
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The NDA Commandant also said, “Aside the N1.3billion shortfall, out of the N8.9billion capital votes appropriated for the Academy in the 2018 fiscal year, only N4.1billion has been released so far.
“As a result, the implementation performance within the capital component is pegged at 47% as at this month (March 2019).
Oyebade while noting that the N9billion capital expenditure budget proposal made by the Academy for 2019 fiscal year was reduced to N8billion by the Ministry of Budget and National Planning.
He listed some of the capital projects to be carried out by the Academy in the 2019 capital expenditure component of the proposed budget, as Counter terrorism and Counter Insurgency Village, NDA Sports Complex and an Earth Dam among others.
Following observation by the Chairman of the Senate committee, Abubakar Kyari (APC Borno North), that while personnel cost component of the Academy budgetary allocations for 2018 was N8.146billion, the proposed estimates for 2019 is N8.072billion, and if the Academy suffered depletion in staff strength, the Commandant said it was sequel to the envelope given by the Ministry of Budget and National Planning.
He said, “No any drastic depletion in the staff strength of the Academy. It remains well over 2,000 in addition to the 2,000 cadet officers that have to be well kitted and trained, aside logistics and administration costs.
“We definitely need improved funding for overhead costs to keep the Academy in very good shape”.
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