Service chiefs get Senate’s approval, promises to tackle insecurity

On Thursday, the Senate approved President Bola Tinubu’s nomination of the Service Chiefs.

The confirmation came after the Senate Majority Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele (APC-Ekiti), had his motion reviewed and approved.

Major General Taoreed Lagbaja is the Chief of the Army Staff. Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla is the Chief of the Navy. Air Vice Marshall Hassan Abubakar is the Chief of the Air Staff. Christopher Musa is the Chief of the Defence Staff.

The Service Chiefs were appointed by the President on June 19 and have since started working, making the screening and confirmation a formality.

After today’s screening procedure, they will be sworn in to their respective positions.

The Senate suspended Order 1B and Rule 1B prior to their confirmation in order to allow for the entrance of outsiders into its chamber.

The nominated service chiefs, Abdullahi Gumel, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), and others were allowed entry.

The service chiefs then alternated in outlining their professional histories and experiences before the Senate adjourned into a closed session to screen the nominees for three hours.

In his speech, Musa reaffirmed the Armed Forces’ commitment to serving Nigerians in accordance with the constitution’s guiding principles.

According to him, the Armed Forces will continue to serve the Nigerian people honourably and in accordance with the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s Constitution and other current federation-wide legal provisions.

Ogalla assured Nigerians that he was fully qualified for the position and pledged to do his best to raise the standard he met.

“I fully understand the challenges facing the Nigerian Navy,” Ogalla said. I’m ready to perform these duties in accordance with our statutory obligations, which include policing the nation’s resources, defending the territorial integrity of the country, and providing military support to the civil power.

To fulfil the President’s wish for peace and security in the nation, Abubakar declared he would mobilise the nation’s air force.

He declared, “I reiterated my commitment to reinvigorating our fight against terrorism, insurgency, and other security threats facing our dear nation on assumption of office as the acting Chief of Air Staff on June 19, 2023.

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“I also noted two key characteristics of cooperation and jointness, which have been instrumental in the successes so far recorded in our counterinsurgency and counterterrorism efforts, which we intend to maintain in line with Mr. President’s directive as outlined during the first National Security Council meeting,” the statement continued.

Lagbaja, for his part, pointed out that the nation had faced difficult security situations over the previous 20 years that had a negative impact on people’s lives in the political, social, and economic spheres.

The feat of our founding fathers, he declared, was to create a powerful, prosperous, globally competitive, and influential nation. The painful reality of today is that insecurity has undermined Nigerians’ aspirations for development.

“I am aware that the Nigerian Army is an essential part of our military’s tool of national power and that I have been nominated to lead it. When security issues arise, it is the largest, most complex, geographically dispersed, and frequently the most sought-after. The Nigerian Army must continuously change to stay ahead of the curve if it is to meet the demands of the modern security environment.

He declared that if the Senate confirmed him, “and given the uncommon mandate to lead the Nigerian Army during this period, I shall do my best to justify the confidence reposed in me by His Excellency and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces and the larger Nigerian society.”