General
Nigeria’s Defense to Gulp $9.5b in 5 Years—Report
**As Boko Haram, Drug Trafficking to Drive Spending
By Dipo Olowookere
Nigeria will continue budget more for its defence sector as a result of Boko Haram menace and increased drug trafficking, a new report has said.
According to the ‘Future of the Nigeria Defense Industry-Market Attractiveness, Competitive Landscape and Forecasts to 2022’ report, the Nigerian defense budget, valued at around $1.5 billion in 2017, registered a negative CAGR of over 10 percent during the historic period
Nigeria is expected to spend a total of close to $9.5 billion on its defense over 2018-2022, and the country’s military expenditure is expected to increase at a CAGR of close to 9 percent to reach over $2 billion by 2022, the report added.
Nigeria has a long history of internal conflicts negatively affecting its economic growth and stability. The recent emergence of radical Islamic group Boko Haram intensified the rebellion in northeast Nigeria and led to a state of emergency announcement by the President regarding the affected states.
The report said the country’s capital expenditure’s share of the total defense budget increased from over 16 in 2013 to about 30 percent in 2017, and is expected to increase to an average of about 26 percent over the forecast period.
Allocations towards the army are expected to marginally decrease from an average of about 36 percent over the historic period to over 35 percent over the forecast period.
Similarly, allocations towards the navy are expected to decrease from just over 20 percent during the historic period to about 20 percent over the forecast period.
Allocations towards the Nigerian Air Force are expected to decrease from over 21 percent during the historic period to about 21 percent over the forecast period.
The report further stated that Nigerian homeland security expenditure increased from almost $1 billion in 2013 to about $1.5 billion in 2017, registering a CAGR of over 11 percent during the historic period.
Threats from Boko Haram and increased drug trafficking are expected to drive the country’s focus on defense spending, the report noted.
In order to counter these threats, the country is expected to invest in surveillance and intelligence technologies such as electronic identification documents, e-passports, automated border crossing systems, bio-metric identification, and CCTV (closed circuit television) systems, which are expected to be covered under defense spending.
As a result, the Nigerian homeland security budget is expected to increase at a CAGR of almost 14 percent over the forecast period, from around $1.7 billion in 2018 to close to $3 Billion by 2022.
Traditionally, the country has been an importer of weapon systems as domestic military production is small-scale and technologically inferior.
During the historic period, Russia was the largest supplier of military hardware to Nigeria with over 30 percent share of imports, followed by China with around 22 percent, the US with about 15 percent, and Ukraine, the Czech Republic, and South Africa accounting for around 9 percent, 6 percent and 5 percent respectively. Most of the country’s imports consist of ships, aircraft and armoured vehicles.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria will hold next year’s presidential and National Assembly elections a month earlier than planned, after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) revised the polling schedule.
The elections will be held on January 16, instead of the previously announced date of February 20, INEC said in an X post, signed by Mr Mohammed Kudu Haruna, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee.
There were also changes to the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections initially fixed for Saturday, March 6 2027, in line with the Electoral Act, 2022, have now been moved to Saturday, February 6, 2027.
The electoral commission said the changes were caused by the enactment of the Electoral Act, 2026 and the repeal of the Electoral Act, 2022, which introduced adjustments to statutory timelines governing pre-election and electoral activities.
“The Commission reviewed and realigned the schedule to ensure compliance with the new legal framework,” it said.
INEC said party primaries (including resolution of disputes) will commence on April 23, 2026 and end on May 30, 2026, after which Presidential and National Assembly campaigns will begin on August 19, 2026, while Governorship and State Houses of Assembly campaigns will begin on September 9, 2026.
It noted that campaigns will end 24 hours before Election Day, and political parties have been advised to strictly adhere to the timelines.
INEC also stated it will enforce compliance with the law.
The electoral body also rescheduled the Osun Governorship election which was earlier scheduled for Saturday, August 8 2026, by a week to Saturday, August 15, 2026.
INEC noted that some activities regarding the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections have already been conducted, and the remaining activities will be implemented in accordance with the Electoral Act, 2026.
Speaking at a news briefing in Abuja two weeks ago, the chairman of INEC, Mr Joash Amupitan, expressed the readiness of the commission to conduct the polls next year.
The timetable issued by the organisation for the polls at the time came when the federal parliament had yet to transmit the amended electoral bill to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
Later that week, the Senate passed the electoral bill, reducing the notice of elections from 360 days to 180 days, while the transmission of results was mandated with a proviso.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has pledged its commitment to provide the regulatory leadership, technical coordination, and stakeholder engagement required to successfully develop and implement a robust National Action Plan on maritime decarbonization in Nigeria.
The Director General of the agency, Mr Dayo Mobereola, made this known during the National Stakeholders’ workshop on the development of a National Maritime Decarbonization Action Plan, further describing the workshop as a critical step in actualising the Federal Government’s blue economy and climate objectives.
Represented by the Executive Director, Operations, Mr Fatai Taiye Adeyemi, the NIMASA DG underscored the significance of the IMO GreenVoyage2050 Project, a technical cooperation initiative /designed to support developing countries in implementing the IMO GHG Strategy.
According to him, the National Action Plan being developed will reflect national realities, leverage existing capacities, address identified gaps, and align with broader economic and environmental priorities of the federal government.
Mr Mobereola stressed that “this transition is not merely about compliance with international obligations, it is about safeguarding our marine environment, protecting public health, strengthening the blue economy, and ensuring that our maritime industry remains competitive and future-ready”, the DG said.
Also speaking at the event was the Technical Manager of the IMO GreenVoyage2050 Project, Ms Astrid Dispert, who highlighted that the overarching objective of the initiative is to advance a coherent and globally aligned regulatory framework to accelerate maritime decarbonization.
She also emphasised that NIMASA plays a pivotal role in driving the project at the national level.
The IMO GreenVoyage2050 Project provides technical expertise and institutional support to assist countries in developing and implementing National Action Plans that promote sustainable shipping practices, encourage investment in clean technologies, and strengthen capacity for long-term emissions reduction.
Through this collaboration, the federal government is advancing deliberate steps towards maritime decarbonization, reinforcing its commitment to global climate goals and ensuring a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable future for the sector.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to comply with its digital submission process effective March 1.
The directive was contained in a circular signed by the Director-General of the Bureau, Mr Adebowale Adedokun, noting that the move was part of the bureau’s commitment to digital transformation and paperless governance.
It explained that the transition followed an earlier circular of Aug. 4, 2025, which introduced electronic submission procedures.
According to the bureau, it has successfully moved from physical filings to a dedicated e-mail service for document submissions and is now advancing to a more robust and integrated system.
The circular announced the inauguration of the BPP Digital Submission Portal, a web-based platform designed to enable MDAs submit procurement-related documents directly to the Bureau.
It stated that the automated platform would streamline the submission process, enhance transparency and ensure accelerated tracking of procurement-related documents and petitions.
“With effect from March 1, all MDAs will be required to use the portal to submit requests for ‘No Objection’ Certificates, approvals for ‘No Objection’ for special procurements, clarifications and status updates on submissions,” the bureau said.
It added that the portal would be hosted on the Bureau’s official website and would become fully operational from the effective date.
The bureau warned that physical submissions or manual hand-deliveries would no longer be prioritised and would eventually be rejected following the full transition to the digital platform.
It urged accounting officers to brief their procurement departments and ICT units on the development to ensure seamless processing of procurement activities from March 1.
It further advised MDAs to contact the Bureau via its official email for information on the onboarding process and integration into the portal.
The bureau emphasised that full compliance by all MDAs was required to ensure a smooth transition and avoid delays in the implementation of the 2026 fiscal year procurement processes.
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