Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga, has explained why the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, remained unaffected by the recent cabinet reshuffle.
In an interview on Arise TV on Wednesday, Onanuga addressed the allegations made by Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, who accused Matawalle of having secret ties with bandits operating in the North-West. However, Onanuga firmly denied these claims, revealing that a thorough investigation by the National Security Adviser’s (NSA) office found no truth in the allegations.
He stated, “Most of those accusations are mere fabrications. I even sent one of them to the NSA, asking if they had heard of it, and the response was clear: ‘No, we have investigated and found nothing.’ These claims are politically motivated.”
Onanuga emphasized that the continued presence of Matawalle in the cabinet reflects the confidence President Tinubu has in him. “For the President to keep him in the cabinet shows that these stories have been looked into and proven to be false,” he explained.
He also reassured the public that any allegations against the Minister have undergone thorough scrutiny, with the NSA’s office concluding that they were unfounded.
