A former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has denounced what he termed a vicious media campaign targeted at the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle.
Fani-Kayode, in a statement posted on his official 𝕏 (formerly Twitter) account on Thursday, claimed the attacks were orchestrated by opposition elements intent on discrediting the minister.
Describing the campaign as shameless and nauseating, Fani-Kayode said Matawalle has demonstrated exceptional loyalty to President Bola Tinubu and commitment to the fight against terrorism since assuming office.
The former minister highlighted what he described as significant successes in Nigeria’s counter-terrorism efforts under the joint leadership of Matawalle and National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
“The combination of him and NSA @NuhuRibadu has resulted in the killing of more terrorists in the last two years than in the previous eight put together,” he said.
Despite these achievements, Fani-Kayode criticised the apparent silence from government quarters regarding the military’s recent victories.
“My only grouse is that for some reason, they do not make this public and let the world know about it, which I think they should,” he added.
‘Ignore The Bad Belle Distractions’ – Fani-Kayode
Fani-Kayode urged the defence minister to remain steadfast and undeterred in the face of criticisms.
“I urge my friend and brother, Matawalle, to remain focused, to continue the good work and to ignore the ‘bad belle’ distractions despite all efforts to discredit and undermine him,” he said.
He described Matawalle as “a ruthless and courageous fighter who does not take prisoners in a fight or show the enemy any mercy,” stating that such qualities had reinforced their 15-year friendship.
On the recent appointment of General Christopher Musa (retd.) as Minister of Defence, Fani-Kayode expressed optimism over what he termed a solidified national security team.
“Now that General Christopher Musa, who was an extremely efficient Chief of Defence Staff, has been appointed Minister of Defence, I have no doubt that the combination of him, Ribadu and Matawalle, together with the other new Service Chiefs, will make an even greater difference,” he said.
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