|By Adejumo Adekunle
A former governorship candidate in Zamfara State, Alhaji Sani Shinkafi, has formally urged the United States to support the scrapping of the Office of the Minister of State for Defence, calling for the immediate removal of Bello Matawalle from the position.
In an open letter addressed to the U.S. government through its embassy in Nigeria, Shinkafi argued that the continued existence of the office undermines effective coordination within the Ministry of Defence, especially following the appointment of a new Minister of Defence, General Musa Christopher.
Writing on behalf of the Patriots for the Advancement of Peace and Social Development, the APC chieftain contended that Nigeria’s worsening security challenges require a unified command structure led by a decisive and experienced military professional. He maintained that General Musa, who previously served as Chief of Defence Staff under Matawalle, should be granted full authority to oversee and reposition the armed forces.
Shinkafi said the resignation of former Defence Minister Mohammed Badaru Abubakar and the subsequent appointment of General Musa provided an opportunity to restructure the defence architecture for greater efficiency. According to him, retaining a Minister of State for Defence risks internal rivalry and weakens strategic decision-making at a critical time.
He insisted that scrapping the office would strengthen the Ministry of Defence and enhance its capacity to confront terrorism, insurgency, banditry, militancy, kidnapping for ransom and other forms of criminality threatening national stability.
“It is in the national interest to unify the Ministry of Defence under one command to avoid unnecessary personality clashes and allow the Minister of Defence a free hand to carry out his statutory responsibilities,” Shinkafi stated.
He further argued that President Bola Tinubu has shown commitment to tackling insecurity and should reinforce that resolve by abolishing the office and removing Matawalle, whom he described as no longer essential to the nation’s security framework.
Shinkafi also claimed that public pressure has mounted against the Minister of State for Defence, citing reactions across traditional media, social media and public protests.
He appealed to the United States to leverage its diplomatic engagements with the Federal Government to encourage a review of the Ministry of Defence’s operational structure, describing the proposed reform as a necessary step toward restoring order, efficiency and direction in Nigeria’s security apparatus.
