By Chesa Chesa
A policy report by Nextier has called for urgent reforms in Nigeria’s military procurement system, warning that weak oversight, excessive secrecy, and corruption are undermining national security despite rising defence spending.
The report, authored by Dr. Chibuike Njoku and Dr. Ndu Nwokolo, noted that Nigeria is currently facing one of the most complex security crises in its recent history, with persistent threats from insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, separatist violence, and oil-related criminality across different regions of the country.
(Dr. Chibuike Njoku is an Associate Consultant at Nextier, a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Studies, Ile-Ife, and a Senior Research Fellow at the Institut Français de Recherche en Afrique (IFRA-Nigeria); while Dr. Ndu Nwokolo is a Managing Partner at Nextier and a Reader (Associate Professor) at the Institute for Peace, Security and Development Studies, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria)
According to Nextier’s Nigeria Violent Conflicts Database, the country recorded 1,274 violent incidents in 2025, resulting in 4,654 deaths and 3,141 kidnap victims, underscoring the worsening insecurity despite extensive government interventions.
The report noted that in response to growing security challenges, the Federal Government allocated about ₦3.154 trillion to the Ministry of Defence in the 2026 Appropriation Bill, making defence one of the highest-funded sectors in public expenditure.
It stated that the increasing deployment of the military in internal security operations—including counterterrorism, anti-banditry, and anti-kidnapping missions—has made defence procurement more critical than ever, as military hardware, intelligence systems, surveillance tools, and logistics directly affect national security outcomes.
However, the authors argued that increased funding has not translated into improved security, largely due to longstanding corruption and accountability challenges in defence procurement.
The report highlighted concerns over contract inflation, diversion of procurement funds, opaque contracting processes, and the purchase of substandard or undelivered equipment. It referenced the infamous $2.1 billion arms procurement scandal, popularly known as “Dasukigate,” as a major example of how funds intended to strengthen military operations against insurgency were allegedly diverted through politically connected networks.
According to the report, procurement failures weaken military readiness, reduce operational efficiency, damage troop morale, and expose civilians to greater risks. It stressed that military procurement should be treated as a strategic governance and national security issue requiring dedicated oversight.
The report identified excessive secrecy as one of the major vulnerabilities in defence acquisitions. While acknowledging that confidentiality is necessary for sensitive military operations, it warned that broad secrecy often shields procurement decisions from scrutiny by the National Assembly, auditors, civil society groups, and the media.
It also pointed to the technical complexity of defence contracts, noting that military acquisitions often involve sophisticated technologies requiring expertise in engineering, logistics, strategy, and finance—making independent evaluation difficult.
The report further blamed weak oversight institutions for persistent procurement challenges, noting that agencies such as the Bureau of Public Procurement, the Office of the Auditor-General, and anti-corruption bodies often face political interference, restricted access to classified information, and limited enforcement powers.
Beyond corruption, the report identified poor procurement planning, weak contract management, inadequate technical capacity, and limited monitoring systems as institutional weaknesses affecting military acquisitions.
To address these concerns, Nextier recommended the establishment of a Defence Procurement Transparency Framework to define the limits of secrecy and require periodic disclosure of non-sensitive procurement data such as contract awards and expenditure summaries.
It also called for regular independent defence audits, stronger legislative oversight, sector-specific procurement guidelines, and enhanced anti-corruption monitoring by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission.
Other recommendations include stronger asset recovery mechanisms, stricter sanctions for offenders, and improved contract management within the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces.
The report concluded that Nigeria’s security challenges cannot be resolved by increasing defence budgets alone, stressing that sustainable security depends on ensuring that every naira allocated to military procurement is efficiently managed and converted into operational capability.
According to the authors, transparency, accountability, and stronger institutional oversight remain essential to ensuring that defence spending delivers measurable improvements in national security and civilian protection.
