Senate confirms President Tinubu’s service chiefs

The Senate has officially confirmed the appointment of the service chiefs who were nominated by President Bola Tinubu.

The confirmation took place on Thursday following a motion presented by Senate Majority Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidela (APC-Ekiti), regarding the approval of the shortlisted service chiefs.

The confirmed service chiefs are as follows: Maj.-Gen. Christopher Musa as the Chief of Defence Staff, Maj.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja as the Chief of Army Staff, Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla as the Chief of Naval Staff, and AVM Hassan Abubakar as the Chief of Air Staff.

Before their confirmation, the Senate made an exception by suspending its order 1b and rule 1b to allow the presence of individuals not typically admitted into its chamber. These individuals included Sen. Abdullahi Gumel, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), the nominated service chiefs, and other guests.

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Following this, the service chiefs took the opportunity to present their career profiles and professional experiences. Subsequently, the Senate proceeded into a closed session that lasted three hours to conduct a thorough screening of the nominees.

During the session, Maj.-Gen. Musa, the nominee for the Chief of Defence Staff, expressed the commitment of the Armed Forces to serve Nigerians in accordance with the Constitution. He acknowledged that his nomination presented an opportunity to utilize his extensive experience to ensure the security and protection of Nigerian lives and properties. He pledged to do his best to fulfill the responsibility entrusted to him.

Rear Admiral Ogalla, the nominee for Chief of Naval Staff, assured Nigerians of his determination to enhance the existing standards and preparedness for the job. He emphasized his intention to improve strategies and develop new ones to safeguard the nation’s maritime waters. Additionally, he pledged to collaborate with other services to secure the country’s waterways, implementing continuous monitoring and surveillance to achieve optimal results.

AVM Hassan Abubakar, the nominee for Chief of Air Staff, outlined his plans to utilize the nation’s air power in order to maintain peace and security, aligning with the President’s objectives. He commended the efforts of previous leaders of the Air Force but acknowledged the need for further action to enhance the fighting capabilities of the Nigerian Air Force.

President Tinubu addressed a letter to the Senate President, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, which was read during the plenary on Tuesday. In the letter, he sought the Senate’s approval to confirm the service chiefs in accordance with Section 18 (1) of the Armed Forces Act, 2004.

(NAN)