A former governorship candidate in Zamfara State and Patron of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council 2023, Dr. Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, has written an open letter to President Bola Tinubu, demanding the scrapping of the Ministry of State for Defence.
In a letter titled ‘Urgent Need for the Scrapping of the Ministry of State for Defence and Sack of His Excellency Bello Matawalle…’, addressed to the President and made available to DAILY POST on Tuesday, Shinkafi, a former governor’s aide, said this move would allow the fight against terrorism to be effectively coordinated by the Ministry of Defence led by the new Minister, Christopher Musa.
His letter reads in full:
It is with deep concern as a patriotic citizen that I write to you on the critical issue of national security, safety, order, and the well-being of Nigerians, following the recent spate of terrorism, insurgency, banditry, militancy, secession, kidnapping for ransom, and other criminal activities in the country.
The appointment of the former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, as Minister of Defence was generally applauded by Nigerians. It is a testament to his patriotism, professionalism, integrity, and unwavering commitment to crush terrorism, insurgency, banditry, and militancy, and to safeguard the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our beloved country.
The recent spate in terror attacks is worrisome, particularly in the northern part of the country, which forced some governors in the region to negotiate with bandits who imposed levies and taxes on rural dwellers before they could cultivate their farmlands and harvest crops. It is sad that banditry has now spilled over to Kano State, which has historically had no record of insecurity.
As the commercial hub of Northern Nigeria, Kano State is one of the safest states in the country. Its security is critical for the stability and progress of the Northern region.
Although five states are mostly affected by banditry in the North West geopolitical zone, Zamfara State has been the epicentre of armed banditry and a safe haven for bandits for the past 15 years. The state shares borders with Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, and Niger States, as well as Niger Republic through Shinkafi and Zurmi Local Governments. Kebbi State also shares borders with Niger Republic and Benin Republic, while Sokoto State towns of Illela, Gada, Isa, Goronyo, Sabon Birni, Tangaza, Kebbe, and Silame share borders with Niger Republic.
The porosity of the borders in the five states of the North West facilitates smuggling, proliferation of small and light weapons, illicit drugs and narcotics, and illegal migration from the Sahel countries.
With widespread banditry, insurgency, and terrorism in the Northern States, and militancy, secession, oil bunkering, piracy, kidnapping for ransom, and cultism in the Southern States, national defence and security require an experienced Minister of Defence with a military background to effectively coordinate and manage the armed forces and protect the nation’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
In view of the above, I respectfully appeal to Mr. President to listen to the timely call and demand by most citizens to scrap the office of Minister of State for Defence and sack Bello Matawalle, the current Minister of State for Defence. Both the office and Matawalle have outlived their usefulness in safeguarding national security and order in Nigeria.
National interest obviously supersedes partisan politics. It is time for action. It is time to do the right thing in the interest of the nation. It is time to scrap the Minister of State for Defence portfolio and remove the incumbent minister holding it.
Matawalle carries a lot of baggage too heavy for efficient and diligent administration and coordination of the Ministry of Defence at this critical security juncture. Numerous allegations against him keep surfacing in the national media and on social media, questioning his integrity, leadership capacity, and, more importantly, his links and sympathies with bandits, both as former governor and current minister of the Federal Republic.
Certainly, Matawalle lacks public acceptance and is too controversial to serve as a minister, let alone as Minister of State for Defence during this crucial period of a state of emergency on security.
The overwhelming acceptance of General Christopher Musa as Minister of Defence is what is needed for any leader serving in the Ministry of Defence. This is what Matawalle lacked as governor and minister. His lack of political sagacity, leadership acumen, and disconnect from the people he was meant to serve led to his defeat in the 2023 governorship election in Zamfara State, while the people voted overwhelmingly for the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in whose campaign I served as Patron of the Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, having earlier contested for governor of Zamfara State.
Since security is everybody’s business, Nigerians identify with Mr. President’s stance to protect citizens and make the country safe, as there cannot be any development without security of life and property, as provided for in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, in Section 14(2)(b), which states that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.
It has become necessary that ministers of defence should have the intellectual capacity, security expertise, and political savvy to combat terrorism, insurgency, and banditry that threaten national security and order.
The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, falls short of these criteria, with his known educational qualification being mere vocational training, which is not equivalent to a senior secondary school certificate, according to the Ministry of Education’s Department of Evaluation and Monitoring assessment.
Whatever considerations Mr. President had in appointing Matawalle as Minister of State for Defence should be reconsidered and rescinded in view of the clear and present security danger the nation is facing, which is far beyond Matawalle’s ability to handle.
When His Excellency Mohammed Badaru Abubakar recently resigned as Minister of Defence, citizens rejoiced and hailed it as patriotism, and expected the junior minister (Matawalle) to follow a similar path of honour and resign. Conscious of the need to inject fresh blood and ideas into the Ministry of Defence, Matawalle’s refusal to resign along with his former boss necessitated the ongoing clamour for his sack.
Mr. President, I join millions of well-meaning citizens who call for the immediate removal of Bello Matawalle as Minister of State for Defence and the scrapping of the office of Minister of State for Defence.
National expectations from General Christopher Musa as Minister of Defence are very high. To meet the yearnings of Nigerians, he should be given powers to restructure and reposition the ministry without the overbearing influence of the junior minister, Matawalle, whom Musa served under as Chief of Defence Staff.
The national defence architecture is too critical to split the command system as currently obtainable in Nigeria. At present, the senior minister does not have control of the maritime domain, which is critical to our economy and national security, as it is handed over to the Minister of State to oversee. Secondly, the Pension Board, which is supposed to cater for the welfare of veterans, is also under the purview of the junior minister.
Most importantly, the Defence Industries Corporation, which is supposed to be the nation’s defence ecosystem of companies, government agencies, and research institutions that develop, produce, and supply military equipment and services, is also not under the senior minister. We now have two ministers running parallel administrations in the Ministry of Defence at a time when cooperation across every sector is needed to address the security challenges.
It is therefore essential to unify the Ministry of Defence under one command. This will also avoid unnecessary personality clashes and inefficiency that exacerbate insecurity in the nation.
The safety of Nigerians should be paramount. I have no doubt that Mr. President will heed the yearnings of fellow compatriots to scrap the office of Minister of State for Defence and relieve Matawalle of his position. It is in the overall national interest to do so.
It is my prayer that God will continue to guide our President as he faithfully pilots the affairs of the nation.
Please accept the renewed assurances of my highest esteem and regards.