Fani-Kayode Breaks Silence: Reacts To Calls For Matawalle’s Ouster As Tinubu’s Minister

Former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode has condemned what he described as a vicious media campaign against the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

In a statement posted on his official (formerly Twitter) account on Thursday, Fani-Kayode accused opposition elements of orchestrating the attacks to discredit Matawalle.

Describing the campaign as “shameless and nauseating,” he praised Matawalle for his loyalty to President Bola Tinubu and his commitment to combating terrorism since taking office.

Fani-Kayode highlighted the minister’s significant achievements in Nigeria’s counter-terrorism efforts alongside National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.

“The combination of him and NSA @NuhuRibadu has led to the elimination of more terrorists in the past two years than in the previous eight years combined,” he said.

Despite these successes, Fani-Kayode criticized the government’s apparent reluctance to publicize the military’s victories. “My only concern is that, for some reason, these accomplishments are not made public for the world to know, which I think they should,” he added.

‘Ignore the Bad-Belle Distractions’ – Fani-Kayode
He urged Matawalle to stay focused and undeterred by the criticism, saying, “I urge my friend and brother, Matawalle, to remain focused, continue the good work, and ignore the ‘bad belle’ distractions despite efforts to discredit him.”

Fani-Kayode described Matawalle as “a ruthless and courageous fighter who shows no mercy to the enemy,” noting that these qualities have strengthened their 15-year friendship.

Regarding the recent appointment of General Christopher Musa (retd.) as Minister of Defence, Fani-Kayode expressed optimism about a strengthened national security team.

“With General Christopher Musa, an exceptionally efficient former Chief of Defence Staff, now as Minister of Defence, I am confident that the combination of him, Ribadu, and Matawalle, along with the new Service Chiefs, will achieve even greater results,” he said.