In response to recent critiques aimed at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, Minister of State for Defence, H.E Bello Mohammed Matawalle, has urged all appointees from the North to vocally support the government’s endeavors.
In a press statement issued today, Matawalle addressed a particular dissent voiced by Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, a Special Adviser on Political Matters in the Presidency, regarding Matawalle’s defense of the Tinubu administration against perceived attacks. Baba-Ahmed’s remarks, deemed ‘ill-advised’ by Matawalle, prompted the Minister to emphasize the duty of all appointees to promote and defend the government’s initiatives.
“Consequent to my position on the recent attack on the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR by a spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), it has come to my attention that Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed who once served as the Spokesperson of the group and currently a Special Adviser on Political Matters in the Presidency took to his page on it to express a different position.
“According to Dr. Baba-Ahmed, my stand against the unjust and spurious attack against the new administration of President Tinubu that is working very hard to reposition our country and economy for better as ‘ill-advised’. He suggested I could have done a better job in my defense of the administration where I have the rare honor to serve as a Minister”, Matawalle expressed in his statement.
Highlighting Baba-Ahmed’s association with the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Matawalle underscored the necessity for government appointees to prioritize their roles in advancing the administration’s agenda over personal affiliations. He stressed that silence in the face of misrepresentation could not be tolerated, urging all appointees to unequivocally support President Tinubu’s efforts.
The Minister’s statement concluded with a call for unity among Tinubu’s appointees from the North, urging them to either stand with the administration or consider stepping down.
“Dr. Baba-Ahmed’s relationship and affinity with the Northern Elders’ Forum(NEF) is well-known. The fact now is that he is an appointee of the administration as Special Adviser and it is incumbent on him to work for the success of the government he is part of, protect and defend the government against unjust and vicious attacks from those who hide under ethnic and other primordial interests to heat the polity for myopic reasons
“It is pertinent to state that every appointee of President Tinubu including Dr. Baba-Ahmed owes the government a copious duty to promote, elucidate, and advance the good works and commendable efforts of the government across all sectors.
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“As appointees of the government from the North, we must all take a stand, be unequivocal, and be counted in the roll of honors for our support and work for the success of the administration we are serving. This is not the time to keep quiet in the face of intimidation and misrepresentation of the efforts and achievements of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR. We must stand up to be counted for being on the part of the government or take our exit”, Matawalle urged.
