The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has launched a scathing attack on the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over what it described as the “shocking” and dangerous underfunding of the Nigerian Army, revealing that only about seven percent of the military’s 2025 budget for security equipment has reportedly been released.
The opposition party said the disclosure exposes what it called the government’s failure to match its tough security rhetoric with real action, especially as Nigeria battles worsening terrorism, kidnappings, and mass abductions.
In a statement issued on April 21, 2026, ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said out of the N336.76 billion approved for security equipment in the 2025 fiscal year, only a meagre N16.71 billion had been disbursed, while nothing had reportedly been released for critical logistics such as transport, aircraft fuel, and military barracks.
“The African Democratic Congress is appalled by recent reports that only about 7 percent of the Nigerian Army’s budget for security equipment has been released in the 2025 fiscal year,” Abdullahi said.
“At a time when Nigeria is battling widespread insecurity, this is not just disturbing, it is indefensible. It is yet another example of a government that talks tough on security but fails to back it up with action.”
The party said the revelation becomes even more damning as Nigerians confront fresh reports that over 400 women and children abducted in Ngoshe, Borno State, are now at the centre of a N5 billion ransom demand by Boko Haram insurgents.
According to Abdullahi, the terrorists reportedly issued a 72-hour ultimatum and threatened to disperse the victims permanently if the government failed to act.
“This is the painful reality of our country today: a country where terrorists feel bold enough to issue deadlines to the state; a country where hundreds of citizens can be held hostage while the government underfunds the very military meant to protect them,” he stated.
The ADC said the link between poor funding and rising insecurity was direct and undeniable, stressing that failure to release funds for mobility, fuel, and operational logistics had left the military weakened and vulnerable.
“When only a fraction of security funds is released, when nothing is provided for logistics like mobility and fuel, and when equipment procurement is delayed, the result is predictable: a weakened security system,” he said.
“And when the state looks weak, those who threaten it grow stronger, with devastating consequences for ordinary Nigerians.”
The opposition party also accused the Tinubu administration of misplaced priorities, alleging that while soldiers struggle with inadequate resources, the presidential air fleet used by the President and his family has reportedly received full funding.
“While the military struggles with chronic underfunding, the federal government has reportedly ensured full funding for the luxurious presidential air fleet enjoyed by President Tinubu and his immediate family,” Abdullahi said.
“This paints a troubling picture of a government that is more concerned with comfort at the top than safety on the ground.”
Describing the development as not just a budgeting problem but a leadership failure, the ADC warned that communities remain exposed, farmers cannot return to their lands, and businesses continue to operate under fear.
“A government that releases only 7 percent of security equipment funds, and nothing for critical logistics, cannot claim to be serious about winning the war against terror,” he said.
“You cannot starve our brave men and women in uniform of the tools they need and expect them to defeat a determined and well-armed enemy. This is not just a budgeting failure, it is a failure of leadership.”
Abdullahi added that the ADC stands with the families of the abducted victims and urged the Federal Government to urgently secure their release while fixing what he described as the deeper failures behind Nigeria’s worsening security crisis.
