THE Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, on Sunday advocated the need for an increase in budgetary allocation to security in view of the prevailing security challenges in the country.
Ihejirika stated this while responding to questions from journalists at the graduation ceremony of the Basic Counter Terrorism Courses 12 of 2013 Nigerian Army Training Centre in Kontagora, Niger State.
He said more officers needed to be trained in counter-terrorism in order to meet with the level of personnel required to meet with the current security challenges in Nigeria.
The Army boss acknowledged the efforts of the Federal Government in funding security, but expressed the need for the National Assembly to increase budgetary allocation to the sector.
He said, "Government is trying its best in terms of resources; that is why the training is going on as expected, but it is not easy to train people for such challenges that we face today in our country.
"We appreciate the support from the government as well as the entire citizens of Nigeria. Mr. President has been funding the Nigerian Army, and we appreciate his efforts, but more still needs to be done regarding adequate training and the provision of more resources."
He said the Army had recorded a lot of improvement on the part of the young officers, which was evident in their demonstration.
He added, "I think you too would be a witness to the improvement in security, especially in the North-East sub-region.
"That is to show you that the training here and the products from this place are impacting positively on our war against terror."
