The senate will on December 3 screen Christopher Musa, former chief of defence staff, as minister of defence.

Senate President Opeyemi Bamidele confirmed this in a statement issued by his directorate of media and public affairs on Tuesday.

He stated that the screening is critical to ensuring domestic peace and national security.

Musa’s nomination came after Mohammed Badaru, the former defence minister, resigned due to health concerns.

President Bola Tinubu forwarded Musa’s name to Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday.

Bamidele said that the red room was “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 stated that the letter “will be read on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday” and that the screening will begin immediately 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,” he said.

“We are treating the request as a matter that directly touches the core interest of our nation so that the federal government can sustain its campaigns against bandits, extremists, terrorists and other forces undermining our national security.”

He stated that declaring a state of emergency for national security necessitates close coordination between the executive and legislative branches.

“The screening of the defence minister nominee is one of the ways to demonstrate such a synergy purely in the national interest,” Bamidele added.