From Cross Udo, Abuja
Minister of Defence, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, has resigned his appointment, with immediate effect.
In a letter dated December 1, sent to President Bola Tinubu, Abubakar said he was quitting on health grounds.
A statement by the Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, last night said “Tinubu has accepted the resignation and thanked Abubakar for his services to the nation.”
The statement further added: “President Tinubu will likely inform the Senate of Badaru’s successor later this week.”
Badaru Abubakar, 63, was a two-term governor of Jigawa state from 2015 to 2023. He was appointed as a minister on August 21, 2023, by President Tinubu.
His resignation comes amid President Tinubu’s declaration of a national security emergency, with plans to elaborate on its scope in due course.
Even though his resignation was predicated on illhealth, there are indications that he may have been asked to resign over his ‘lack-lustre performance’ since he was appointed, with not much remarkable achievements.
He also recently made a controversial statement which gave impression that the Nigerian military could not rout the insurgents.
“In this kind of war, from time to time, there will be relief; sometimes they will do something that will shock everyone on the ground, although I have heard some say that their whereabouts are known and who they are.
“It is true that their whereabouts are known, but they are people you cannot attack, or they are in the forests where our bombs cannot reach them.”
Such statement was deemed as signal that he was unworthy of his position, and lacked comprehension of what his job entailed.
A source told this newspaper: “What can you point to as his achievement? The North where he comes from has been ravaged by insurgency. The middlebelt the same. No serious government will keep the two defence ministers. He had to go.”
It was also gathered that there will likely be reallignment in the defence and security architecture to reinforce the fight against terrorism and banditry. An impeccable source told this newspaper
“The government is serious about achieving a turnaround in the war against terrorism. There will definitely be movements. Badru is gone, others like him will follow.”
