The Federal Government spent N74.96 billion on arms, ammunition, and military equipment between 2023 and 2025, with the bulk of the expenditure occurring in 2024, according to data from GovSpend. Spending rose from N33.30 billion in 2023 to N40.84 billion in 2024, before dropping to N819.46 million in 2025. The Ministry of Defence accounted for the largest share, including a single-day expenditure of N33.22 billion on July 26, 2024, for urgent operational equipment. In 2023, the ministry spent N9.17 billion on ammunition on November 7 and another N6.89 billion on November 21. The Nigerian Army spent N4.41 billion on ammunition in June 2023, alongside N2.88 billion on arms and N2.77 billion on a surveillance attack aircraft. The Nigerian Navy spent N1 billion in August and N5 billion in December 2023 on arms and ammunition. Other agencies contributed to the spending, including the Nigeria Correctional Service with N144.35 million, the NSCDC with N172.77 million, and the National Park Headquarters with N13.91 million. In 2024, the NDLEA spent N1.94 billion on arms and anti-riot gear for counter-narcotics operations. Police formations invested in firearms tracking systems and training, while the Nigerian Defence Academy made additional procurements. By 2025, spending had sharply declined, limited mostly to NDLEA transactions of N245.84 million in September and N573.62 million in December. The data captures only explicitly classified military purchases, suggesting total security spending could be higher. SIPRI data shows Africa accounted for 4.5 percent of global arms imports in 2024 and 2025, compared to Europe's 48.2 percent.
The surge in military spending in 2024, particularly the N33.22 billion spent in a single day by the Ministry of Defence, suggests a reactive rather than strategic procurement pattern. This集中 on urgent operational needs indicates that planning may be driven by immediate security pressures rather than long-term defence modernisation, raising questions about sustainability and transparency. The sharp drop in 2025 spending—down to less than 2 percent of the 2024 total—reinforces the impression of ad hoc decision-making, possibly influenced by fiscal constraints or shifting priorities.
Globally, the data reflects a broader imbalance in military access, with Africa accounting for just 4.5 percent of arms imports compared to Europe's 48.2 percent. This disparity underscores how geopolitical attention and arms markets are heavily skewed toward regions with greater strategic leverage or conflict visibility. For African nations, limited access to advanced equipment can hinder responses to asymmetric threats like terrorism and organised crime, even as spending increases domestically.
For Nigeria and other developing nations, the challenge lies not only in acquiring equipment but in building coherent defence strategies amid tight budgets and external supply limitations. The heavy reliance on a few large, sudden purchases risks inefficiency and reduces room for accountability. As global arms flows remain concentrated in other regions, African countries may continue to face capability gaps despite increased local spending.
What to watch is whether future procurement shifts toward sustained, transparent planning or remains tied to emergency responses.
💡 NaijaBuzz is an AI-assisted news aggregator. This content is curated from third-party sources — NaijaBuzz is not the original publisher and is not responsible for the accuracy of source reporting. The NaijaBuzz Take is AI-assisted editorial opinion only, not established fact. All persons mentioned are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. NaijaBuzz does not endorse the views expressed in source articles.
