Matawalle in Saudi Arabia for meeting of Defence Ministers, moves to tackle insecurity

Minister of State for Defence Bello Matawalle has visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to attend a conference of Ministers of Defence from Africa, Europe and Arab nations.

The meeting expected to kick off on February 2 in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, will see defence ministers from around the regions discussing strategies and issues relating to securing their respective areas.

The Minister’s aide on new media, Yariman Ganuwa, made the visit known in a Facebook post.

He noted the former Zamfara Governor will also take time out to perform the lesser hajj (Umrah)where he prayed for peace and success of Nigeria.

The visit to the holy land is coming on the heels of his participation in a two-day roundtable on security in northern Nigeria organised by the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) in Abuja from

January 24-25, 2024.

Under the chairmanship of General Abdussalami Abubakar GCFR (Rtd), the roundtable brought together key figures to address the persistent issue of insecurity in Northern Nigeria, and the rest of the country at large.

Others at the event were Chief of Defence Staff, General C.G Musa; former Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki, and the former Governor of Katsina State, Aminu Bello Masari among other notable figures from various sectors.

Since assumption of office as Minister of State for  Defence, Matawalle has shown a marked departure from the usual order of business, although the insecurity situation in the country is proving to be a very hard nut to crack.

In a departure from previous administrations, Matawalle ordered an investigation into allegation of wrongdoing by a serving Chief of Naval Staff, who had been accused of using his office to carry out corrupt practices.

Matawelle was responding to a news report, alleging the Naval Chief’s involvement in facilitating an unorganised bunkering of Nigerian crude and a multimillion-naira contract-splitting fraud.

The online report had alleged that Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, was involved in oil theft and accusing him of releasing several oil tankers impounded for transporting stolen crude oil off Nigerian shores after receiving kickbacks in millions of dollars.

It added that preliminary investigations estimated that Ogalla, who was appointed by the President on June 19, 2023, had accepted over $170m in bribes in the past six months.

The online media platform noted that the log records and videos it reviewed showed several instances between September 2023 and January 2024 when the Nigerian Navy dispatched gunboats of personnel to supervise the loading of stolen crude on at least four vessels.

Following the claims, a coalition of Concerned Nigerians petitioned President Bola Tinubu to investigate the allegations of large-scale corruption against the CONS, Vice Admiral Ogalla.

But the Navy authorities dismissed the allegations as false. Spokesman for the Navy, Rear Admiral A.O. Ayo-Vaughan, said the allegations were untenable, baseless, untrue and sponsored by oil thieves and disgruntled elements.

In response, Matawalle who stated that President Bola Tinubu had zero tolerance for corruption in the public service, pledged that the allegations would be investigated.

Director, Information, Press and Public Relations of the Defence Ministry, Mr Henshaw Ogubike, quoted Matawalle as saying “though these allegations might be mischievous, the Ministry of Defence is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and accountability within the Nigerian Armed Forces.

“The allegations leveled against Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla are serious.”

Matawalle said a probe was imperative with a view to ascertaining the truth, adding: “accusations of this nature can have far-reaching consequences on the reputation of individuals and institutions, and thus, it is crucial to avoid premature judgments.

“It is our collective responsibility to maintain the trust and confidence of the Nigerian people in the institutions that safeguard our nation’s security.

“We call for patience as the investigative process unfolds and trust that justice will be served in accordance with the rule of law.”