Kehinde Fajobi
A heated exchange erupted in the National Assembly on Thursday during the defence of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) 2025 budget by Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
Tensions flared when two lawmakers raised concerns that the IGP’s presentation did not match the documents provided to the committee.
Attempts by the committee chairman to let the IGP proceed while resolving the discrepancy were met with resistance, leading to a shouting match.
The standoff escalated, prompting a senator to walk out of the session.
Order was eventually restored, allowing the IGP to continue his presentation. Egbetokun reiterated his long-standing demand for the NPF to be removed from the restrictive envelope budget system.
“The current budgeting framework hampers the Force’s ability to effectively address national security challenges,” he said.
While some lawmakers expressed reservations, Senator Abdul Ningi argued, “Envelop was never a legal entity and neither was it ratified by the National Assembly and should therefore continue as the normative.”
Other lawmakers supported the idea of reforming the police budgeting process, advocating for a more flexible and needs-based funding model to enhance national security operations.