The senate is set to conduct the screening of Christopher Musa, former chief of defence staff, on December 3 for the role of minister of defence.
Opeyemi Bamidele, the senate leader, announced this in a statement released by his directorate of media and public affairs on Tuesday, noting that the screening is vital to reinforcing internal peace and national security.
Musa’s nomination comes after the resignation of Mohammed Badaru, the former minister of defence, who stepped down due to health issues.
President Bola Tinubu forwarded Musa’s name to Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday. According to Bamidele, the senate is “already in possession of the request of the president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu to screen his defence minister nominee”.
He said the letter “will be read on the floor of the senate on Wednesday”, after which the screening will begin promptly in accordance with section 147 of the constitution.
“We cannot delay such a request especially at this crucial time in the history of our fatherland,” Bamidele said.
He added that the matter is being handled with urgency because it concerns national security and the federal government’s ongoing campaigns against bandits, extremists, terrorists, and other threats.
Bamidele also emphasised that the declared state of emergency on national security underscores the need for strong cooperation between the executive and legislative arms of government.
“The screening of the defence minister nominee is one of the ways to demonstrate such a synergy purely in the national interest,” he said.