Police, Army, others eating too deep into our budgets, states complain

State governments have lamented the costs they incur in funding federal government agencies and security setups, including the army and police.

Speaking on behalf of the state governments, Secretary to the Kaduna State Government, Balarabe Lawal, made this outcry in Abuja during the inauguration of the Permanent Standing Committee on Inter-Governmental Affairs chaired by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.

He said, “I am sure that most of my colleagues will agree with me on this. When you go back to our states, we shoulder a lot of Federal Government programmes.

“In the area of security and other services, you will find out that funding from the Federal Government is usually very low.

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“So, we have tried to find out what
is happening. They have a bigger budget but you find out that all the agencies of the FG normally come to the states asking for one thing or another.”

He explained that the states had had to spend money on the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

“They (the security agencies) will tell us that their overhead is N60,000 a month which we think is impossible to carry them along.

“The police, apart from salaries, come to us for almost everything they need. This committee is important. I think you need to listen to us because we are carrying the burden of the Federal Government and it is now telling on our infrastructure development.

This, according to him, was eating deep into the coffers of the states as money meant to build roads, schools, hospitals were now being diverted to fund and support Federal Government’s institutions.

By Babatunde Alao…

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