Reno Omokri, a former presidential spokesperson, has supported President Bola Tinubu‘s decision to pick a politician to lead the country’s defence ministry rather than military officers.
In a tweet on Thursday, Mr Omokri stated that Nigeria fared better in terms of security when the country’s defence ministry was led by a civilian.
Omokri argued further in support of Tinubu’s decision, claiming that Nigeria’s security situation deteriorated under ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, despite the fact that he is a former military general and appointed a former general as the country’s defence minister.
“We had a former military General and Head of State as President and a retired General as Minister of Defence under Buhari, and our security worsened. The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same things and expect different results. If Buhari and Bashir Magashi only worsened the situation, then perhaps it is right to change them,” Mr Omokri said.
According to the former presidential spokesman, the countries experiencing the most insecurity are nations governed by military dictators.
“If you look at our history, we have had more security when civilians headed the Defence Ministry than when soldiers. Niger Delta militancy began under TY Danjuma, an ex-General, as Minister of Defence and ended when a civilian, Yayale Ahmed, took over. Boko Haram insurgency started when a former General, Godwin Abbe, was Defence minister and is only now easing under Nuhu Ribadu as NSA,” he added.
Mr Omokri’s comment was in response to worries expressed by former Kaduna senator, Shehu Sani following the decision of President Bola Tinubu to appoint former Zamfara state Governor Bello Matawalle to head the country’s defense ministry.
