Nigeria's spy agency has firmly rejected any foreign funding for the country's security operations. The Department of State Services says such arrangements would jeopardize national sovereignty and compromise intelligence work.
Emmanuel Daubry represented the DSS at a House committee hearing in Abuja on Thursday. Lawmakers were reviewing two bills about establishing a security trust fund and intelligence institute.
Daubry backed the Security Trust Fund Bill in principle. He said it would enable steady financing for counterterrorism, intelligence gathering, and equipment purchases.
The fund would also help during emergencies like terror attacks and civil disorder, he noted. Resources could be mobilized quickly when crises strike.
But the DSS pushed back on one critical issue. Foreign money should be completely banned from the trust fund, the agency insisted.
According to Daubry, outside donors could manipulate Nigeria's security priorities. He warned that "foreign contributors might push agendas misaligned with our unique threats like insurgency, banditry, and kidnapping."
External funding creates dangerous exposure, the DSS representative explained. It could reveal classified operations, procurement details, and troop movements to outsiders.
On the proposed Strategic Intelligence Management Institute, concerns were different. The DSS worried its role would duplicate work already done elsewhere.
Limit the institute to foreign intelligence and international cooperation only, the agency recommended. That way there's no overlap with existing structures.
The DSS also sought clearer rules about the trust fund's governance board. It called for changes to how the board would operate.
Daubry urged lawmakers to amend relevant bill sections before passage. Officials requested revisions to the explanatory memorandum as well.
