The pro-transparency and accountability Non-Governmental Organisation, Ethics Vanguard, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately sack the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, over what the association describes as gross incompetence and abysmal failure in tackling the growing insecurity across Nigeria.

In a strongly-worded statement released in Abuja on Monday, Ethics Vanguard expressed outrage at the worsening state of insecurity under Badaru?s watch. The group lamented "the daily carnage inflicted on innocent Nigerians by terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, and armed militias." It also commended Hon. Solomon Maren, the lawmaker representing Mangu/Bokkos Federal Constituency in Plateau State, "for courageously speaking truth to power by publicly denouncing the ineffectiveness of the Defence Ministry in securing lives and property."

Ethics Vanguard said in the statement signed by its Executive Director, Miss. Amina Mohammed: "The time has come for decisive action, not rhetorical assurances or cosmetic changes." It insisted that "President Tinubu must replace Badaru with a competent, tested and proactive defence strategist or a committed statesman who can coordinate the armed forces efficiently and reinvigorate Nigeria's counterterrorism operations."

?The scale and intensity of attacks across Nigeria under Mohammed Badaru Abubakar?s tenure as Minister of Defence is not only frightening but also unacceptable,? Ethics Vanguard stated, adding: ?From the heartland of Plateau to Southern Kaduna, Benue, Zamfara, Sokoto, and even the Federal Capital Territory, Nigerians are being butchered like animals in their homes, farms, schools and highways. The Defence Minister, instead of leading from the front, has retreated into silence, bureaucracy and irrelevance.?

The civil rights group described Badaru?s appointment as a glaring example of misplacement of priorities and misjudgment of competence, stressing that the job of Nigeria?s Defence Minister cannot be entrusted to an individual whose track record and background are not merit-oriented. The group further argued that "a distracted administrator cannot adequately respond to the demands of wartime Nigeria?a country now under the siege of non-state actors and transnational jihadist threats."

?It is totally unconscionable that at a time when the Nigerian state is facing an existential war from insurgents and terrorists, the Minister of Defence is a politician without any clear security pedigree or even the commitment to carrying out the mandate of his high calling. Badaru is clearly analogue in the face of Nigeria?s modern asymmetrical warfare challenges. This minister lacks the tactical acumen, operational discipline, and strategic insight required to reform, motivate, and coordinate Nigeria?s overstretched armed forces,? the statement added.

Ethics Vanguard emphasised that, "the current Minister?s inability to roll out strategic policy initiatives, reform the procurement system for weapons and logistics, or even implement actionable defence reforms has contributed to the deepening morale crisis within the military and the worsening insecurity across Nigeria.'

The pro-transparency and pro-democracy group questioned why the Tinubu administration continues to retain officials whose continued stay in office fuels public distrust and disillusionment, warning that the cost of incompetence is already being paid in blood.

?We urge the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, to rise above partisanship and immediately initiate legislative pressure on the President and pass a vote of no confidence on the minister of Defence Mr. Badaru so as to urge the President to ease out the current Defence Minister. This is a moment that calls for statesmanship, not politics. No responsible government anywhere in the world will continue to shield failed appointees while its citizens perish daily,? Ethics Vanguard said.

According to it, "the revelation in the federal House of Representatives that 40 military combat tanks and platforms worth several trillions of Naira were simply 'donated' to Boko Haram terrorists in Borno State just as the Defence Minister did not take steps to ensure accountability, shows that Mr. Badaru is not suitable for such a complex and demanding duties of the minister of defence. This revelation is scary even as we call on the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the federal House of Representatives and all patriotic Citizens and stakeholders to impress it on Mr. President to immediately relieve Mr. Badaru of the high office of the Minister of Defence."

The group disclosed that it has begun consultations with no fewer than 120 Civil Society Organisations across Nigeria to mobilise for a massive nationwide protest against the continued tenure of Mohammed Badaru Abubakar as Defence Minister. According to Ethics Vanguard, if the minister is not relieved of his duties within the next 14 working days, a coordinated demonstration may take place at the gates of the Ministry of Defence, the National Assembly Complex, and other key government locations across the country, once the affiliate CSOs successfully wraps up our ongoing consultations.

?It is either President Tinubu listens to the cries of the people or he confirms his administration?s complicity in shielding incompetence. We cannot be mourning every day while someone sits comfortably in office, collecting allowances and dishing out meaningless platitudes. Our patience has run out. Nigerians want results, not excuses,? the statement stressed.

Ethics Vanguard also slammed what it described as the government's deliberate silence on the massacre of over 200 persons in Plateau State alone in the past two weeks, stating that the failure of Badaru to personally visit the affected communities, coordinate relief efforts, or even address the press underscores the lethargy that has gripped the Defence Ministry under his watch.

?This minister has neither the urgency of leadership nor the empathy of a public servant. It?s time to go. Nigeria is at war, and the war demands competent statesmen or women, not ceremonial politicians,? Ethics Vanguard said.

It vowed to sustain pressure alongside its CSO allies until the federal government appoints a competent defence minister who will treat insecurity as a national emergency and not a political routine.

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