Akpabio reshuffles key Senate Committees in major security oversight shake-up

The Senate on Tuesday intensified its reorganisation of security-sector oversight as Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced fresh leadership across four strategic committees.

The appointments, unveiled during plenary, form part of a broader effort by the upper chamber to strengthen accountability within Nigeria’s defence and intelligence framework.

Akpabio named Senator Shehu Buba of Bauchi South as the new Chairman of the Senate Committee on Livestock and Animal Husbandry, a sector increasingly recognised for its security implications, especially in relation to herder–farmer tensions and rural stability.

Senator Abdullahi Yahaya of Kebbi North was appointed Chairman of the Committee on National Intelligence and National Security, a critical committee responsible for some of the Senate’s most sensitive oversight work as Nigeria grapples with terrorism, banditry and hybrid threats.

Senator Osita Ngwu of Enugu West was announced as Acting Chairman of the Committee on Air Force, while Senator Musa Mustapha from Yobe East was designated Chairman of the Committee on National Planning.

These changes come barely one week after the Senate took the unprecedented step of dissolving its Committees on National Security and Intelligence, as well as the Committee on Air Force, following a motion moved by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele on November 26.

That decision also mandated all security-related committees, including those overseeing the Army, Navy, Defence, Interior and Police Affairs, to submit detailed reports of their oversight activities within one week and to appear before the Senate in a closed-door session.

The restructuring is widely seen as a clear signal of the Senate’s determination to tighten legislative grip on Nigeria’s security architecture.

It also reflects an effort to demand greater transparency, improve institutional effectiveness and realign parliamentary oversight with the evolving security realities facing the nation.

With the new committee leaderships now in place, lawmakers and analysts alike will be watching closely to see how the appointees respond to the Senate’s renewed urgency for accountability, a push that could significantly shape the direction of Nigeria’s security governance in the months ahead.

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