The systematic underfunding of the Nigerian Armed Forces throughout 2025 has moved past the point of being a simple accounting error. It has become a full blown strategic disaster that is directly responsible for the heartbreaking loss of our frontline heroes. When the Army receives a measly 7.11 percent of what was promised for equipment, the battlefield stops being a place of strategy and starts becoming a graveyard. We are learning the hard way that bravery alone cannot save a soldier from an ambush when the state fails to provide the armor.
Let’s be clear: you simply cannot buy national security at a discount.
This neglect has forced our troops into a dangerous, defensive crouch. Instead of taking the fight to the enemy, they are stuck guarding bases that have become sitting ducks. The recent loss of a Brigadier General and several key tactical officers was not just a casualty of war. It was the direct result of a failing 13.98 percent release rate for Air Force maintenance. Without drones to act as eyes or helicopters to provide cover, our elite units are essentially walking into high risk zones blind.
The data is as grim as the reality on the ground. We saw a 22 percent spike in military deaths in the latter half of 2025. This happened because routine patrols did not have the armored vehicles needed to survive landmines and roadside bombs.
We also need to talk about the experience gap these deaths leave behind. When a General or a veteran Colonel is killed, we lose decades of knowledge and leadership. That is wisdom you cannot replace by simply hiring a new recruit. Because the government only released 1.46 billion Naira out of a 20 billion Naira equipment budget, the Army could not buy the electronic tools needed to block the remote triggers terrorists use. This fiscal gap has turned every patrol into a gamble with death, wiping out the very leaders who hold our national security together.
What is perhaps most frustrating was the wall of silence from the Ministry of Defence. While other ministers were at least honest about being broke, the defense leadership stayed quiet. We owe a debt of gratitude to the investigative courage of Daily Trust for breaking that silence and showing us that our protectors were being sent to war with empty pockets. It confirmed a terrifying truth: the silence from the top was not because things were fine, it was because the department was suffocating under red tape and delayed payments.
This budget famine is a virus spreading through the entire government. When the Health Ministry gets only a fraction of its budget and the Transportation Ministry gets almost nothing, the military is left fighting in a vacuum. You cannot win a war without development to back it up.
There is still a small window to fix this. With the 2025 budget deadline extended to June 30, 2026, the government has one final chance to release the remaining 93 percent of the funds. It makes zero sense to spend trillions on salaries for soldiers and then deny them the drones and armor they need to actually stay alive.
You cannot buy peace with a 7 percent down payment. If we do not release these funds now, we will continue to pay the rest of the bill with the lives of our Generals and the tears of their families.
Abubakar M. Kareto is a Public Affairs Analyst, Commentator and a Concerned Citizen. He can be reached by amkareto@gmail.com
