Senate confirms Service Chiefs’ appointment

The Senate has confirmed the appointment of Service Chiefs, nominated by President Bola Tinubu.

The Senate’s confirmation was sequel to the consideration and approval of a motion brought by Senate Majority leader, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidela (APC-Ekiti), on the confirmation of the shortlisted security chiefs.

The Service Chiefs confirmed are the Chief of Defence Staff, Maj.-Gen. Christopher Musa; the Chief of Army Staff, Maj.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja; the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla; and the Chief of Air Staff, AVM Hassan Abubakar.

Tinubu had, in a letter addressed to Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and read at plenary on Tuesday, July 11, 2023, sought approval of the Senate to confirm the Service Chiefs, in line with Section 18 (1) of the Armed Forces Act, 2004.

Speaking before the confirmation, Musa pledged the commitment of the Armed Forces to serve Nigerians in line with the dictates of the Constitution.

The CDS said his nomination was an opportunity to bring his vast experiences to bear for the security, protection of lives and properties of Nigerians, and pledged to do his best to justify the confidence reposed on him.

The Chief of Naval Staff said he would put in his best to upgrade the standard he met, assuring Nigerians that he was fully prepared for the job.

Ogalla promised to improve existing strategies and develop new ones to secure the nation’s maritime waters.

Ogalla said he would collaborate with other services to secure the nation’s waterways, adding that he would initiate continuous monitoring and surveillance to achieve maximum result.

On his part, Abubakar said he would mobilise the nation’s air power to ensure peace and security of the country, in line with the aspiration of President Tinubu.

The Chief of Air Staff commended the efforts of previous leaders of the Nigerian Air Force, but said a lot more needs to be done to revamp the fighting capabilities of the NAF.

The Star