The Chairman, Senate Committee on the Ministry of Interior, Sen. Kashim Shettima, has strongly advocated for an urgent increase in budgetary allocation to the ministry, to enable it execute its mandate effectively.
The Director of Press in the ministry, Mrs Blessing Lere-Adams, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, in Abuja.
Shettima, representing Borno Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, stated this when the Minister, Rauf Aregbesola, and Management team led by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Shuaib Belgore, appeared before the committee on its 2021 Budget Performance, as well as the 2022 budget defence at the National Assembly (NASS).
The chairman added that comparatively with other climes, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) responsible for internal security of any nation, had very huge budgets to enhance the enthronement of appreciable peace and security in the country.
“The budget allocation to the internal security sector assists nations to properly strategise and plan for needed activities of monitoring and surveillance arrangements and for checking the movements of people.
“Who come into nations illegally with dangerous arms and ammunition, herders and their cattle, miners with fake travel documents, all of whom come in through porous and unmanned and unprotected borders, thus creating numerable insecurities and chaos to the affected country”, Shettima said.
Other members of the committee, according to the ministry’s statement, also submitted that for effective monitoring and surveillance of the nation’s border as obtained in an ideal society, the Police and Customs ought to be under the supervision and coordination of the ministry.
“This will most likely go a long way to ensure the much desired concerted efforts needed to achieve internal security, which is the only panacea for peace and tranquility in Nigeria.
“There must be synergy with other arms of the Nigerian security architecture such as the Army, the SSS and the Nigerian Air Force that has suitable surveillance equipment like aircraft to assist the ministry in regular surveillance activities, while the ministry should be seen to be coordinating all these activities as well.
Earlier, Aregbesola, when asked about the policy thrust of the ministry, said the ministry was primarily responsible for Security, Integrity and citizenship of members of the public.
“The ministry addresses directly citizenship, travel document, residence permit , insurance of expatriate quota, marriages and inter- marriages.
“While at the same time, superintending over the four services under it, including the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Federal Fire Service (FFS), Nigeria Correctional Service (NCOS) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The Senators expressed great appreciation to the minister and his ministry in their efforts at achieving the results of their mandate in spite of the very lean budgetary allocation, for which they unanimously said the minister deserved their empathy.
The chairman thereafter, asked the minister to lay the Budget document before the committee with a bow. (NAN)