A former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has condemned what he described as a “vicious media campaign” against the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle.

In a statement posted on his official X account on Thursday, Fani-Kayode said the attacks, allegedly orchestrated by the opposition, on Matawalle were “shameless and nauseating.”

Fani-Kayode said the minister had demonstrated exceptional loyalty to President Bola Tinubu and commitment to the fight against terrorism since assuming office.

He argued that the partnership between Matawalle and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, had yielded significant gains in the counter-terrorism war.

He said, “The combination of him and NSA @NuhuRibadu has resulted in the killing of more terrorists in the last two years than in the previous eight put together.”

Fani-Kayode, however, faulted what he described as the government officials’ reluctance to publicise security successes, saying, “My only grouse is that for some reason, they do not make this public and let the world know about it, which I think they should.”

He urged Matawalle to remain focused and ignore attempts to discredit him, saying the minister’s courage and toughness in confronting enemies of the state had earned him respect.

“I urge my friend and brother, Matawalle, to remain focused, to continue the good work and to ignore the ‘bad belle’ distractions despite all efforts to discredit and undermine him,” he wrote.

Fani-Kayode described Matawalle as “a ruthless and courageous fighter who does not take prisoners in a fight or show the enemy any mercy,” adding that these traits had strengthened their 15-year friendship.

He encouraged the minister to “keep up the good fight” and continue delivering results for the nation.

“We are with you, my brother, and more importantly, God is behind you,” he stated.

Reacting to the appointment of former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa (retd.), as Minister of Defence, Fani-Kayode expressed confidence in the emerging security leadership.

“Now that General Christopher Musa, who was an extremely efficient Chief of Defence Staff, has been appointed Minister of Defence, I have no doubt that the combination of him, Ribadu and Matawalle, together with the other new Service Chiefs, will make an even greater difference,” he said.