Nigeria's Defence Minister Scolds Political Appointees To Either Support Tinubu or Quit

The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has advised the new northern appointees to support President Bola Tinubu or quit their positions. 

Matawalle, on Monday, said that all the appointees of the current administration, must work towards its success and protect it from unwarranted criticism rooted in ethnic or narrow interests. 

“Consequent to my position on the recent attack on the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by a spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum, it has come to my attention that Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed who once served as the spokesperson of the group and currently a Special Adviser on Political Matters in the Presidency took to his social media page, to express a different position.

" My stand against the unjust and spurious attack against the new administration of President Tinubu which is working very hard to reposition our country and economy for the better is ‘ill-advised’. 

He suggested I could have done a better job in my defence of the administration where I have the rare honour of serving as a Minister.

“The fact now is that he is an appointee of the administration as Special Adviser and it is incumbent on him to work for the success of the government he is part of, protect and defend the government against unjust and vicious attacks from those who hide under ethnic and other primordial interests to heat the polity for myopic reasons, ” said Matawalle.