The Minister of Defence, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, CON, mni, has sought the counsel of former Military Head of State, General Abdulsalam Abubakar GCFR and the former Chief of Defence Staff, General Martin Luther Agwai on measures to end insecurity in Nigeria.
The Minister made the appeal when he paid courtesy visits to the military generals in their Abuja homes.
A statement by the press and public relations officer, Ministry of Defence, Victoria Agba-Attah, said the visit was to seek for professional advice from them on how to tackle and accomplish the task ahead of him as defence minister.
He informed the former leaders that in view of the task and responsibilities ahead of him in the strategic Ministry, it was necessary for him and the Minister of State to consult and tap from the wisdom and wealth of their experiences.
Badaru said he will not relent in his efforts of “wider consultations with elders and former Nigerian leaders on how to tackle the current security challenges facing the nation.”
He commended the former Head of State, General Abdulsalam Abubakar who was also the head of ECOWAS special envoy to Niger Republic for his efforts to restore peace and overcome the current political impasse in that country.
General Abubakar, was Nigeria’s military Head of State from 1998 to 1999, a renowned elder statesman and a peace Ambassador for ECOWAS and the United Nations.
On his own part, General Martin Luther Agwai has served the nation at one point of his career as the Commander of the combined United Nations-African Union Peacekeeping Force in Dafur. He has also served as Chief of Staff and Chief of Defence Staff respectively.
Both leaders commended, President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, GCFR for appointing Badaru as Minister of Defence, describing him as a great achiever.
They wished him a successful tenure as minister of defence.