Senate To Screen Defence Minister Nominee Today

The Senate will today, wednesday screen the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, as the new Minister of Defence, in what it described as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.

The disclosure was made on Tuesday by the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, in a statement issued by his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs. He underscored the importance of the exercise to achieving internal peace and stability.

General Musa’s nomination follows the resignation of former Defence Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru, who stepped down citing health reasons. President Bola Tinubu subsequently forwarded Musa’s name to the Senate for confirmation in a letter transmitted to Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday.

Bamidele confirmed that the Senate “is already in possession of the request of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to screen his defence minister nominee.”

According to him, the letter will be formally read on the Senate floor during Wednesday’s plenary, after which the chamber will “immediately proceed to the screening of the nominee, consistent with Section 147 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).”

He stressed that the Senate would not delay the process, noting the urgency of addressing the nation’s security challenges.

“We are treating the request as a matter that directly touches the core interest of our nation so that the federal government can sustain its campaigns against bandits, extremists, terrorists and other forces undermining our national security,” he said.

“With the president having declared a state of emergency on national security, both the Presidency and the National Assembly must work hand in hand to ensure peace, stability and good governance. The screening of the defence minister nominee is one of the ways to demonstrate such synergy purely in the national interest.”