The Senate has announced that it will on Wednesday screen the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, as the new Minister of Defence, describing the process as part of its ongoing response to the country’s security challenges.
The disclosure was made by the Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, in a statement issued by his Directorate on Media and Public Affairs on Tuesday.
There, he noted the importance of the screening to efforts aimed at ensuring internal peace and stability.
Musa’s nomination follows the resignation of former Minister of Defence, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru, who stepped down citing health concerns.
President Bola Tinubu thereafter forwarded Musa’s name to the Senate for confirmation, transmitting a formal letter to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, on Tuesday.
According to Bamidele, 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.”
He stated that the letter “will be read on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday. Subsequently, it will immediately proceed to the screening of the nominee consistent with Section 147 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).”
Bamidele added, “We cannot delay such a request especially at this crucial time in the history of our fatherland.
“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.
“Since the President has declared a state of emergency on national security, both the Presidency and National Assembly must work hand in hand to ensure peace, stability and good government.
“The screening of the defence minister nominee is one of the ways to demonstrate such a synergy purely in the national interest.”
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