DSS tables N19.6bn for 2023 elections and schools protection

The Department of State Services has proposed to spend a total of N19,637,627,951 on security operations and equipment before, during, and after the 2023 general elections, as well as for the protection of schools across Nigeria.

The DSS will initiate a new “Safe School Intervention” with a sum of N2,624,980,000 next year.

The Director-General of the DSS, Yusuf Bichi, presented the demand to the House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence.

The National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd.), had on November 17, 2022, led heads of the intelligence agencies in the country before the House Committee on National Security and Intelligence to defend the budgets proposed in the 2023 Appropriation Bill.

In the written presentation to the committee, a copy of which our correspondent sighted on Saturday, Bichi decried the reduction of the budgetary allocation proposed by the DSS.

The document partly read, “The review of the 2023 capital expenditure proposed by the Service from N20,968,849,974 to N8,997,542,023 by the BOF (Budget Office of the Federation) implies that the Service may be unable to access adequate funds for the procurement of critical security equipment.” Similarly, the review of the Service’s overhead allocation from N8,842,327,405.00 to N3,800,987,405.00 will pose a setback to efforts towards combating the increasing security challenges confronting the nation.

Meanwhile, the Office of the National Security Adviser has proposed a budget of $9,729,685, or $965 per person, for 2023.

Monguno said, “There is a slight increase of about 5 percent over the 2022 PC Appropriation.” This is partly due to the fluctuation in forex to cover for the allowances of covert staff that are deployed for various assignments.”

For overhead costs, the office proposed N20,451,285,991, which Monguno said would cover payment of annual bandwidth and service legal agreements for ONSA intelligence platforms.

The proposal for capital projects by ONSA is N7,747,122,505.

GOGAN TV