Akpabio reshuffles Senate security committees, appoints new chairmen

In a decisive move to strengthen legislative oversight of Nigeria’s security architecture, Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday unveiled new leadership across four key Senate committees, marking the latest phase of an ongoing security-sector shake-up within the upper chamber.

Announcing the changes during plenary, Akpabio appointed Senator Shehu Buba (Bauchi South) as the new Chairman of the Senate Committee on Livestock and Animal Husbandry, a portfolio increasingly linked to national security and rural stability amid ongoing farmer-herder conflicts across the country.

Senator Abdullahi Yahaya (Kebbi North) was named Chairman of the Committee on National Intelligence and National Security, one of the Senate’s most sensitive oversight assignments as Nigeria continues to battle complex security threats including insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, and separatist agitations.

The Senate President also designated Senator Osita Ngwu (Enugu West) as Acting Chairman of the Committee on Air Force, while Senator Musa Mustapha (Yobe East) was announced as the new Chairman of the Committee on National Planning.

The latest appointments come barely a week after the Senate, in an unprecedented move on November 26, dissolved its Committees on National Security & Intelligence and the Air Force following a motion by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele.

The dissolution formed part of a broader directive mandating all security-related committees—including those overseeing the Army, Navy, Defence, Interior and Police Affairs—to submit comprehensive reports of their oversight activities within one week and appear before the Senate in closed session.

The restructuring is widely seen as a signal of the Senate’s resolve to tighten control, demand greater accountability, and realign parliamentary oversight with the evolving security challenges confronting the nation.

The move comes against the backdrop of persistent criticism over the effectiveness of legislative oversight on security matters, with many Nigerians questioning whether parliamentary committees have been sufficiently rigorous in holding security agencies accountable for performance and resource utilization.

The appointment of Senator Buba to head the Livestock and Animal Husbandry Committee is particularly significant given the security dimensions of pastoral conflicts in Nigeria. Clashes between farmers and herders have claimed thousands of lives and displaced entire communities across the Middle Belt and other regions in recent years, making livestock management a critical component of national security policy.

The committee is expected to play a crucial role in overseeing the implementation of policies aimed at addressing these conflicts, including the establishment of ranches and the regulation of open grazing.

With the new committee heads now in place, attention turns to how swiftly they will respond to the Senate’s renewed push for transparency and effectiveness within Nigeria’s security institutions.

The committees are expected to intensify oversight activities, conduct comprehensive assessments of security agencies’ operations, and ensure that budgetary allocations translate into tangible improvements in national security outcomes.

The restructuring reflects growing legislative assertiveness on security matters at a time when Nigerians are demanding more decisive action to address the country’s multifaceted security challenges.