Dr. Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Executive Director of the Patriots for the Advancement of Peace and Social Development (PAPSD), has written a letter to the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, urging the US to exert diplomatic pressure on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently restructure the Ministry of Defence.
The core of Shinkafi’s demand, which he has made repeatedly to the Nigerian government, is the scrapping of the Office of the Minister of State for Defence and the removal of the current holder, Hon. Bello Matawalle.
In the letter, dated 15 December 2025, and acknowledged by the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, Shinkafi argued that the current dual leadership structure in the Defence Ministry is a major impediment to tackling Nigeria’s worsening insecurity:
Shinkafi asserts that retaining both a Minister and a Minister of State creates administrative overlap, duplication of roles, and personality clashes, which undermine effective coordination in the fight against terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping.
The call is specifically aimed at granting the substantive Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), a unified command structure and a “free hand” to oversee and restructure the armed forces. Shinkafi noted that unifying the command would align the ministry with global best practices for nations facing complex security threats.
The letter reportedly reiterated Shinkafi’s previous stance that the Minister of State, Bello Matawalle (who previously served as General Musa’s superior in Zamfara State), is unsuitable for the role and lacks the necessary military expertise and political authority to support the fight against insecurity.
Shinkafi’s decision to appeal directly to the US envoy is strategic, leveraging ongoing diplomatic engagements. –
The appeal capitalizes on the renewed security cooperation between Nigeria, the US, and European partners. Shinkafi is asking the US to use its influence during these high-level discussions to push for the administrative reform.
By involving the US, Shinkafi seeks to reinforce the argument that a streamlined, professional, and non-partisan command structure is essential for Nigeria’s defence architecture to be effective and credible on the international stage.
The APC chieftain stressed that the primary purpose of government, as outlined in the Nigerian Constitution, is the security and welfare of the people, and achieving this requires decisive administrative action at the highest levels of the defence sector.
