The House Committee on Defense has emphasized the need for increased funding for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).
Babajimi Benson, Committee Chair, stated while leading members on the first oversight visit to the DIA headquarters in Abuja.
Benson stated that the DIA is vital to the nation’s security architecture, and the visit highlights the need of intelligence-driven approaches in solving multidimensional security concerns.
He stated, “Nigeria has three intelligence agencies: the DSS, the NIA, and the DIA. The DIA’s budget should be increased as it provides both internal security and intelligence from within and beyond Nigeria.
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“So they are the only agency to wear those two caps. DSS is solely Nigerian, NIA is international, and DIA does both. However, comparing the budgets of the three organizations, it is surprising that DIA receives the least.
“So, we’re here today to evaluate what they’ve done with what they have, but there’s a need to increase what they get to match what DSS and NIA receive. This is the recommendation we are bringing away, and we will make certain that Mr President, the father of the nation, sees it.
“He needs to adopt DIA as his baby because they have so much potential.” As you can see, insecurity has decreased significantly in Nigeria, and the DIA has played a crucial role,” Benson added.
