Borno South Senator, Ali Ndume, has called on the Federal Government to reduce discretionary spending, including scaling down the activities of the National Assembly, to free up funds for addressing Nigeria’s growing insecurity challenges. Speaking on Politics Today on Channels Television, Ndume said lawmakers should sit less frequently—possibly quarterly—with pay adjusted to match the reduced schedule.
He argued that the government must prioritise spending that directly benefits citizens, noting that the current fiscal structure allows recurrent and overhead costs to run unchecked, even as the 2025 budget remains unresolved. According to him, only a small percentage of Nigerians benefit from such expenditures while insecurity continues to worsen nationwide.
Ndume stressed that shutting down or reducing non-essential government functions would allow more resources to be channelled into securing lives and property. He maintained that protecting citizens should come before all other considerations.