Former Sokoto State governor and senator representing Sokoto South, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has disclosed that the United States military intervention in Nigeria in December was not tabled before the Senate.
Speaking during an appearance on Arise TV on Monday, Tambuwal faulted the lack of legislative oversight over such security arrangements.
He argued that any agreement involving Nigeria’s military or government and foreign partners should be explicit and properly outlined. He added that such cooperation should not be limited to the United States.
Tambuwal said, “I’m a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. These issues were not tabled before us. If you ask us today, we don’t know how it came about. At this level, we should know certain things.”
He said the December incident and earlier statements by the US government appeared to have influenced the ruling party’s posture, suggesting that the administration subsequently began to act more decisively.
“I think that intervention, first the statements from President Trump and the subsequent missile attack, had some effect on the government of the day. They now had to sit down and say, look at what’s happening. You could see some positive impact on the way the administration is now thinking,” he said.
Asked whether he would like to see more such actions from the United States, Tambuwal said he would not welcome further attacks, but favoured diplomatic and political engagement anchored on transparency and mutual understanding.
“I would not want to see more attacks. A clearer and well-defined framework between the Nigerian government and the US government for these engagements,” he said.