Chairman of the Senate Committee on Services, Senator Sunday Karimi, has raised alarm over the financial burden insecurity has placed on Nigeria, disclosing that more than half of the nation’s revenue in recent years has been spent combating terrorism and insurgency.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, the Kogi West senator responded to recent comments by Senator Ali Ndume, who accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of lopsided appointments during an interview on Arise TV.
Karimi criticized Ndume’s focus on federal appointments, arguing that such sentiments are distractions from the country’s major challenges. He emphasized that leaders from conflict-ridden regions should prioritize security concerns over ethnic or regional politics.
“Over 50% of Nigeria’s earnings in the last few years are being spent on fighting insurgency,” Karimi stated, urging Senator Ndume to focus on local engagement and community-based solutions to curb the insurgency in the North-East.
He advised the Borno South senator to work with his constituents in tackling Boko Haram, stressing that insecurity has viable local solutions.
“Rather than playing to the gallery and criticising the government, Senator Ndume, as a leader of his people, should go back home, liaise with his people on solving Boko Haram problems,” he said.
Karimi also pointed to efforts in his own constituency, where he facilitated the establishment of a military base in Yagba West, Kogi State, and supported logistical operations to bolster security.
“The country has lost a lot of its soldiers and trillions of Naira fighting insurgents in Senator Ndume’s Senatorial District over the last decades. In fact, I lost one of the young officers, a captain in the Nigerian Army from my Senatorial District, serving in his community three weeks ago,” he revealed.
The senator emphasized that the loss of lives and financial strain due to insecurity are issues that should unite national leadership in finding effective and sustainable solutions.
