President Bola Tinubu’s recent cabinet reshuffle has sparked debate, with some analysts calling for increased transparency regarding certain controversial ministerial appointments. The retention of Bello Matawalle as Minister of State for Defence, despite allegations from his state’s governor accusing him of ties to militant groups, has been a focal point of this discussion. Laolu Akande, a former presidential aide, voiced his concerns in an interview with Channels Television from 3:02, urging a public review to clarify the allegations and findings.
Akande acknowledged that while President Tinubu has taken substantial steps in reshaping the cabinet to meet public expectations, he argued that more could have been done. “The President has merely done more than 50% to meet expectations,” he said, expressing his belief that Tinubu should have gone further. The former aide pointed out that the lack of transparency surrounding the decision to retain Matawalle, despite accusations from a sitting governor, raises critical questions.
“I have heard the allegations, that those allegations are not true,” Akande continued, but he highlighted a significant gap in the response to these claims. “The question is, who made the investigation?” Akande emphasized the importance of a public inquiry to address the serious accusations.
“The President has merely done more than 50% to meet expectations. I think he should have gone further. For instance, I’m sure there’s no sufficient justification to keep Matawalle with all the noise and the allegations that were tendered by his sitting governor. I have heard the allegations that those allegations are no true. The question is that who made the investigation. If a Governor, a sitting Governor this is what this Minister is doing, this minister is supporting, this Minister has a hand in all of this. We need to have a public review to tell us this is what we found, this is what is right, this is what is wrong.” He said