By Khalid Idris Doya
A political pressure group, Badaru Support Group has asked Nigerians to repose their confidence in the new Minister of Defence, Alhaji Abubakar Muhammed Badaru, saying the former Jigawa state governor would perform creditably beyond expectations going by his vast wealth of experience as a versatile leader in the country.
According to the group, a trial will convince all the jobless and favour-seeking critics who believed that the occupier of the exalted office of minister of defence must have had a security in-depth training on military or paramilitary outfit for such a task.
The Group Convener General, Hon. Habibu Bulama Bizi in a statement Friday in Bauchi told the critics that the roles of a minister are more of supervisory and policy making, recalling that Badaru had gone far and wide in resolving conflicts in his party which hitherto seemed very difficult to solve.
“Wen Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso was made defence minister, the opinions of some citizens was that he did not have security experience as a former security officer, the same way they are saying now that Badaru did not have such experience, and it was adjudged that the former governor of Kano state performed to the bewilderment of the the President Obassnjo.”
According to the group, the magical approach Muhammad Abubakar Badaru deployed as the Jigawa state former governor to maintain peace among herders and farmers, will be extended to his new ministry to uplift the nation’s security architecture.
Bizi, who said that Badaru would relentlessly offer people-oriented policies and programmes in his new ministry, added “The Jigawa state’s former governor will no doubt be setting the pace for the first time in the ministry where subsequent defence ministers will follow as a leadership template”.
Hon. Habibu Bulama Bizi expressed confidence that Minister Badaru will introduce laudable policies and programmes that reposition the security of the nation for accelerated growth and development, saying “Prior to his appointment as the Defence Minister, Badaru has distinguished himself in many fronts in the service to the nation”.
“The insinuations that His Excellency, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar did not have indepth military or paramilitary background is just a way of trying to discredit the holistic efforts of Mr. President in assembling a team of tested and trusted Nigerians as ministers. His regime gave adequate security to the lives and properties of the good people of Jigawa State”.
Bizi said that all the doubting thomases would live to witness adequate security in the nation under the leadership of Abubakar Badaru, whose forthrightness and fore-sightedness as a business tycoon cum politician, would Nigeria soon to record massive improvement in area of security of lives and properties.
Group described Badaru as a tested and trusted leader who will ignite the nation with unprecedented development in the Defence Ministry stressing that Badaru is both a goal-setter and a goal-getter, with the assurance of making Nigerian citizens sleep with their two eyes closed under his watch as the Defence Minister.
Bulama Bizi, “The 60-year-old Minister has come to deploy his people-oriented wealth of experience to bear in the service to humanity and nation building. The belief by some disgruntled elements in the political system that a Defence Minister ought to have received requisite military or paramilitary training is coming from those who did not understand the role of a Federal Minister.”
“He would be able to supervise the Defence Ministry effectively. As the Chief Policy Maker of the Ministry, Alhaji Badaru would not relent in offering people-oriented policies in his new ministry. He is set to introduce policies and programmes that will reposition the security of the nation for accelerated growth and development of the nation.”
