DSS opposes foreign funding for proposed security fund bill

The Department of State Services (DSS) has opposed a provision in a proposed Security Trust Fund Bill that would allow foreign contribution to the fund, warning that foreign funding could compromise national security, undermine operational independence and expose sensitive intelligence activities to external influence.

The position was presented on Thursday during a public hearing organised by the House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence.

The hearing considered three bills, including the Bill for an Act to Establish the Department of State Services Security Trust Fund (HB.2178) and the Bill for an Act to Establish the Strategic Intelligence Management Institute (HB.2589).

In its submission on the proposed Trust Fund, the Service explained that the proposed Trust Fund was intended to provide dedicated and sustainable funding for intelligence gathering, counterterrorism operations and other national security activities.

According to the DSS, the Fund is designed to facilitate the acquisition of modern operational equipment, improve training, enable faster responses to emerging threats and reduce delays associated with conventional budgetary processes.

The Service, however opposed to allowing international organisations to contribute to the proposed Trust Fund.

It further expressed concern over provisions giving the National Assembly discretion to determine annual contributions to the Fund, saying this could create uncertainty in financing.

“Allowing foreign funding for a security-related Trust Fund raises serious concerns relating to sovereignty, operational confidentiality, and institutional independence. International funding arrangements may impose reporting and disclosure obligations capable of compromising sensitive security operations, including intelligence methods, procurement processes, and deployment strategies.

“There is also a risk that foreign funding may introduce external influence over domestic security priorities, which may not always align with Nigeria’s specific security realities, including insurgency, banditry, and kidnapping,” the agency warned.

It consequently proposed that Section 3 be amended so that the Fund would receive grants, donations and endowments only from local organisations.

On the Bill establishing the Strategic Intelligence Management Institute, the DSS warned that the proposal substantially overlapped with the National Institute for Security Studies established under the National Institute for Security Studies (Establishment) Act, 2019.

The Service said both institutions would perform almost identical functions by providing strategic and specialised training for intelligence and security personnel as well as public officials.

Ahmed Satomi, chairman of the committee said the bills before the National Assembly are designed to strengthen the operational capacity of the DSS through sustainable funding, professional intelligence training and indigenous research and technological development.

According to him, the proposed legislations seek to address three critical areas of the country’s intelligence architecture by providing sustainable funding for the DSS, improving the professionalisation of intelligence managers and building indigenous capacity in intelligence technology, cyber security and strategic analysis.