The Federal Government is considering creating centers for terrorist groups with regret.
The coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre, Rear Admiral Yem Musa (retired), presented the House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence with information regarding the NCTC’s plans to establish two Disarmament, Deradicalization, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration Centers for remorseful terrorists.
He claimed to be a component of the NCTC’s 2023 capital projects.
The centers will receive N2, 400,000,000 of the proposed N3, 839,160,000 in capital expenditures for the following year.
On November 17, 2022, the National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (retired), appeared before the committee with the leaders of the intelligence community to defend each of their individual 2023 budget plans.
Musa bemoaned the fact that the NCTC, which is just a few months old, has struggled to raise enough money to carry out the objectives for which it was founded.
The NCTC presentation to the committee partly reads:-
“Since its establishment, efforts have been made towards the setting up and operationalisation of the centre.
These efforts have not been easy due to lack of funding for the centre since its inception early this year as provision was not made for funding in this year’s budget.
“That is why this maiden budget is key to the effective take-off and operationalisation of the centre to achieve its core mandate.”
Musa told the committee that the projected personnel cost for 2023 was N1,864,889,169, but the Budget Office of the Federation reviewed it downward to N997,152,292.25, which he said, “is insufficient for the Centre considering its proposed staff strength.”
The NCTC coordinator pleaded with the committee to consider and approve the initial sum forwarded by the centre.
While the NCTC proposed allocation of N3, 839,160,000 to its capital projects, the sum was reviewed down to N428, 860,000.
The NCTC coordinator prayed the committee to:-
“facilitate the appropriation of (a) the sum of N1,864,889,169.00 only as personnel cost for the Year 2023; (b) the sum of N5,860,610,050.00 only as overhead cost for the Year 2023; (c) the sum of N3,839,160,000.00 only for the Year 2023 capital expenditure.”
