Tinubu under fire for appointing ordinary auto-mechanic as Minister of State, Defense

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been lambasted for appointing a former governor of Zamfara State, Mr Bello Matawalle, who is an ordinary auto-mechanic as the Minister of State, Defense.

TrackNews reports that on Wednesday evening, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assigned twenty-five portfolios to his Ministers designate.

Amongst others, Tinubu appointed the former governor of Rivers State, Nyesome Wike, as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory—FCT while his Ebonyi State counterpart, Dave Umahi was assigned the Minister of Works.

The All Progressives Congress—APC campaign council spokesman and former Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN was assigned the Minister of Aviation.

Former Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, is the Minister of Labour and Employment, while the Minister of Petroleum Resources is yet to be allocated.

See the full list below:

1. Nyesom Wike – FCT Minister
2. Festus Keyamo – Minister of Aviation
3. Adebayo Adelabu- Minister Of Power
4. Adegboyega Oyetola – Minister of Transportation
5. Dele Alake- Minister of Solid Minerals
6. Muhammed Idris – Minister of Information
7. Mohammed Badaru- Minister of Defence
8. Minister of State, Defense – Bello Mattawale
9. Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy – Wale Edun
10. Minister of Works – Dave Umahi
11. Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare – Ali Pate
12. Minister of Agriculture and food security -Abubakar kyari
13. Minister of Youths- Abubakar Mohmoh
14. Minister of Communications and Digital Economy – Bosun Tijjani
15. Minister of Foreign Affairs – Yusuf Tuga
16. Minister of Budget and Economic Planning – Atiku Bagudu
17. Minister of Water resources and sanitation – Joseph utsve
18. Minister of Steel Development – Shuaibu Audu
19. Minister of State, Agriculture – Sabi Abdullahi
20. Minister of Trade and Investment – Doris Anieete
21. Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation – Betta Edu
22. Minster or Sport – John Eno
23. Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy – Bunmi Tunji Ojo
24. Minister of Labor and Employment – Simon Lalong
25. Minister of Special Duties – Zapahnnaih Gazzalo
26. Minister of Petroleum Resources – Yet to be allocated

But speaking over the assigning of portfolios to the Ministers designate, the publisher of Point Blank News, Jackson Ude described them as incompetent ministers.

The US based investigative journalist wondered how Mr President will go as far as appointing a former governor of Jigawa State, Mohammed Badaru who holds Bsc in accounting as Minister of Defense and his Zamfara counterpart, with just an ordinary vocational certificate in auto mechanic as Minister of State, Defense at a time insecurity is biting the country so hard.

Ude said, “How can you make Mohammed Badaru with Bsc Accounting, Minister of Defence and Bello Matawalle with a Vocational Certificate in Auto Mechanic, Minister of State, Defence, at a time Nigeria needs thoroughbred professionals to tackle insecurity challenges?”

Also, a former Senator who represented Kaduna Central at the Senate, Shehu Sani has condemned the appointment of the duo (Mohammed Badaru and Bello Matawalle) without any security background by President Tinubu to head the defence ministry.

Senator Sani noted that the ministry should have been given to a retired military officer with records of accomplishments because of the security situation of the country.

“In view of the security challenges faced by this country, I thought the Defence Minister should be a retired Military officer with experience and records of accomplishments.

“That office shouldn’t be just political, especially at this time,” he wrote via his twitter account.

Meanwhile, the government is yet to investigate Bello Matawalle who was accused of donating about 15 brand new Hilux vehicles to leaders of ‘repentant’ gangs of bandits while serving as governor of Zamfara state.

According to media reports, the criminal elements used some of the vehicles given to them by the former governor for operations.

Some of the beneficiaries were Na Shama, Sani Shaidan, Mohammadu Bello Halilu and Bage Waye. Other bandit kingpins who got the vehicles were identified as Kachalla, Ado, Busniya, Dunbulu and Gajere.

It was also revealed that Matawalle approved millions of naira to be given to the ‘repentant’ bandits as compensation.

The Zamfara State government under Matawalle in 2019 entered a peace agreement with the gunmen. But despite the accord, communities in the state were frequently attacked and residents kidnapped and/or killed