The House of Representatives Committee on Defence has called for adequate funding of the Defence Intelligence Agency to enable it to deliver on its mandate.
The DIA was established in 1986 to provide an efficient system of obtaining military intelligence for the Nigerian Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence.
The agency promotes Nigeria’s defence policy, enhances military cooperation with other countries, protects the lives of Nigerian citizens and maintains the country’s territorial integrity.
The committee’s Chairman, Babajimi Benson, made the call when he led members on the maiden oversight visit to the DIA headquarters in Abuja.
Benson, who represents the Ikorodu Federal Constituency in Lagos State, said the agency is central to the nation’s security architecture, adding that with appropriate funding, it would go a long way in addressing Nigeria’s security challenges.
“There are three intelligence agencies in Nigeria — the Department of State Services, the National Intelligence Agency and the Defence Intelligence Agency. We have looked at the budgets of the three and believe the DIA should be getting more because it does not only cover internal security which has allowed the armed forces to come in, but it also provides intelligence from within and outside Nigeria.
“It’s the only agency that wears those two caps. The DSS is just Nigeria, the NIA is foreign but the DIA is for both. But if you look at the budget of the three agencies, it is shocking that the DIA gets the least by far.
“We are here today to even see what they have done with the little they have, but there is a need to drastically ramp up what they get for them to be at par with what the DSS and the NIA. This is the recommendation we are taking away and we are going to ensure that Mr President, the father of the nation, sees it.
“He needs to adopt the DIA as his baby because they have so much potential. As you can see, insecurity has gone down drastically in Nigeria and the DIA has played a very critical role,” Benson said.
Credit: punchng.com
