- Nigeria’s Defence Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar
By SCM Staff Writer
NIGERIA’S defence minister has dramatically QUIT his post, citing “health grounds,” just as the country faces a terrifying “national security emergency.”
Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, 63, walked away from one of the toughest jobs in Africa with immediate effect on Sunday, December 1.
The move leaves President Bola Tinubu scrambling to fill the vital role as the battle against Islamic militants and general banditry continues to rage across the oil-rich nation.
Abubakar, a former two-term Governor of Jigawa state, only took the top defence job on August 21, 2023.
His shock resignation was confirmed in a terse statement from presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, who confirmed President Tinubu had accepted the minister’s decision and thanked him for his brief service.
The timing couldn’t be worse for Nigeria’s leader. The bombshell announcement comes as President Tinubu has just declared a “national security emergency” across the whole country.
The president is expected to outline the full scope of this emergency—and the harsh measures to follow—in the coming days.
Now, his key man in the fight is gone.
Insiders suggest the immense pressure of tackling the ongoing Boko Haram threat in the North-East, plus mounting kidnappings and violence, may have taken a severe toll on the ex-Governor.
A replacement for Abubakar is expected to be put before the Nigerian Senate later this week.
“The pressure cooker of Nigerian defence is arguably the most stressful job outside the presidency itself.
To quit at a moment when the President has just declared a national emergency suggests either a severe health issue or a major disagreement over the security strategy,” said a source in the capital, Abuja.
