Tag: Security Votes

₦525bn security votes fail to stem killings across states – Report

Aminu Imam
Security votes report2

Nigerian states budgeted a combined ₦525.23 billion for security votes and related operations between 2023 and 2025, but the spending has failed to curb the worsening wave of killings, kidnappings and violent crimes nationwide. An analysis of approved budgets from 32 states, sourced from the BudgIT-backed Open States portal, shows security vote allocations rose sharply year-on-year — from ₦150.47bn in 2023 to ₦164.07bn in 2024, before jumping to ₦210.68bn in 2025. Figures from Gombe, Kebbi, Niger and Yobe were not clearly disclosed, suggesting the actual total is higher. Despite the…

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“Account for security votes”, SERAP tells Govs.

Aminu Imam
SERAP tell Govs.

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has urged the 36 State governors to publicly account for how they have spent security vote allocations since May 29, 2023, and to invite anti-corruption agencies to investigate the expenditure. In a Freedom of Information (FoI) request dated June 28, 2025, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the group also called on the governors to allow the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to track and monitor the disbursement of…

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Concerns over misuse of security vote amidst rising insecurity

Aminu Imam
Security Vote misuse

Lawyers have queried the rationale behind the monthly allocation of security vote to state governors amidst rising insecurity in the country. The lawyers were unanimous in calling for the scrapping of security vote, saying it is not being properly used by many state governors. Speaking while appearing before the House Committee on FCT last week Monday to defend the N1.1 trillion budget of his ministry, Wike said he need security vote to tackle the insecurity currently ravaging the FCT. Wike said: Security vote has become necessary to enable the FCT…

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Security Votes: Governors, LGA Chairs to stop using cash from May 29

Aminu Imam

State governors and local government chairmen across the country would have to be more accountable for how they spend their security votes as the Federal Government has banned them from withdrawing the funds from May 29. Over the years, the agitations against security votes have been gaining ground in public squares. Many think that the essence of the funds is not well spelled out while others have been urging for the release of the funds to be halted since the governors and local government chairmen cant account for it. In…

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Insecurity: ‘Govs, LG chairmen pocket over N375bn security vote annually despite worsening situation’ – Report

Aminu Imam

By Aminu Imam, with agency report It has been revealed that State governors and local government chairmen in the 36 States of the Federation collect a whopping sum of N375 billion annually in the name of security votes, an act not provided for in the Nigerian Constitution or any known law in the country. According to reported figures, this amount excludes those collected annually by the President, Vice-President, the leadership of the National and States’ House of Assemblies, Ministers and other top government officials. According to the reported figures, across the…

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Why security votes must be scrapped – Moghalu

Aminu Imam

Former Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, has lamented the growing insecurity situation in the country amidst huge sum of money budgeted as security votes. Moghalu, who spoke in Awka, Anambra state at an event organized by a socio-political pressure group, Kwechiri Noganiru Anambra, with the theme: Anambra: The Quest For Excellence in Governance, called for the scrapping of security votes, stressing it was not part of accountable governance. He said, When you understudy the level of insecurity in the country, one begins to wonder what…

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Governors security votes more than Military, Police budgets in last five years – CISLAC

Ishaku Yohanna

Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has called for security reform to end spate of insecurity across the Nigeria, lamenting that state governors security votes, which is put at N208.8bn annually outweighs the annual budget of police, army, as well as air force and navy combined in the last five years. According to CISLAC, for Nigeria to get out of the current security challenges, the country must embrace a security reform, where security votes are channelled directly to funding the security agencies, rather than being stolen by state executives. Executive…

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