Matawalle maintained active oversight of defence sector in 2025 – Group

The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Muhammad Matawalle, maintained sustained oversight of Nigeria’s defence sector throughout 2025, combining strategic leadership, international diplomacy and institutional reforms, a civil group has said. The Northern Youth Concerns Citizens stated this in a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by its Chairman, Dr Ibrahim Buhari Malunfashi. According to […]

The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Muhammad Matawalle, maintained sustained oversight of Nigeria’s defence sector throughout 2025, combining strategic leadership, international diplomacy and institutional reforms, a civil group has said.

The Northern Youth Concerns Citizens stated this in a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by its Chairman, Dr Ibrahim Buhari Malunfashi.

According to the group, Matawalle’s activities in 2025 began with efforts aimed at boosting personnel morale and reinforcing national security traditions.

In January, the minister decorated senior officers of the Nigerian Navy and the Nigeria Police Force and participated in Armed Forces Remembrance Day activities alongside President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the State House and the National Mosque.

The statement noted that Matawalle also presented the 2025 defence budget to the National Assembly and engaged international defence support firms. In Kaduna, he unveiled a redesigned corporate logo for the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON).

In February, the minister hosted the Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria to discuss defence cooperation and attended official engagements in Kano. March activities, the group said, focused on institutional and industrial oversight, including meetings with the Bureau of Public Procurement, ECOWAS Chiefs of Defence Staff and representatives of China’s NORINCO.

It added that Matawalle represented Nigeria at the Latin America Aerospace and Defence Exhibition in Brazil in April, hosted delegations from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the United States Embassy, and conducted operational visits to Maiduguri with the Chief of Defence Staff.

According to the statement, May and June centred on naval capacity development and national security responses. During the period, the minister presided over DICON board meetings, inducted new naval platforms, launched the Navy Special Operations Command logo and joined President Tinubu on security assessments in Benue State.

The group said July and August featured both domestic initiatives and international engagements, including the commissioning of compressed natural gas vehicles for military logistics, the unveiling of DICON-manufactured armoured platforms, and defence visits to Azerbaijan, Türkiye and India. Matawalle also co-chaired a National Defence College Governing Board meeting and engaged African defence leaders in Abuja.

In September, the minister responded to an accidental explosion at the DICON Ordnance Factory in Kaduna and hosted a United States Army medical research delegation. October, the group added, included ceremonial duties and sports diplomacy, highlighted by a charity football match in Abuja.

The statement said November recorded major industrial and security milestones, including the signing of a strategic memorandum of understanding between DICON and Ajaokuta Steel Company, rescue operations involving abducted schoolgirls in Kebbi State, and preparatory engagements for the African International Defence Exhibition.

According to the group, Matawalle concluded the year with official visits to Egypt and Saudi Arabia in December, where he signed a defence cooperation agreement before returning to Abuja on December 10.

“The Minister’s 2025 agenda reflects sustained leadership, strengthened international partnerships and a clear commitment to enhancing Nigeria’s defence capability,” the statement said.