GCOMS urge President Buhari to slash Military budget

The Global Campaign On Military Spending, GCOMS has called for reduction in the military budget stressing huge allocation to the military in time past has failed to yield desired result.

GCOMS -Nigeria Coordinator in a press statement made available to newsmen in Lokoja yesterday said, such deduction could be used to develop other sectors of the economy.

The statement read in part, "Global Campaign On Military Spending, GCOMS-Nigeria, welcomes the decision of the President Muhammad Buhari government to sack the country's Service Chiefs. The Service Chiefs would not be forgotten for superintending over a State Army that was almost embarrassingly humiliated by the Boko Haram insurgents in spite of having unfettered access to humongous budgetary allocations.

"Also, the use of the resources available to the military for combating Boko Haram, including the $1 billion sourced by the Jonathan administration for the same purpose must be investigated.

"GCOMS Nigeria wishes to call for a reduction in military expenditure as this has failed to address critical issues about safety and security. Rather, more of the resources should be reallocated to the social welfare sector, Food production, education, healthcare, housing and water, employment and social security sectors in order to reduce the masses' frustration which gradually crystalizes into radicalization, conflicts and terrorist tendencies

"We therefore urge government to listen to GCOMS's campaigns, especially as Nigeria would be hosting first African GCOMS conference in Abuja in April 2016

The Global Campaign on Military Spending (GCOMS) is a global campaign whose main objective is to ask the world governments to reduce their military expenditures and move the money to support critical areas that are the backbone of human survival.

By Samuel Ahmadu, follow him on Twitter