The Senate, during its plenary on Thursday, July 13, confirmed the nomination of service chiefs recently appointed by President Bola Tinubu.
Senate’s confirmation was sequel to the consideration and approval of a motion brought by Senate Majority leader, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele (APC-Ekiti) on confirmation of the shortlisted service chiefs.
Before their confirmation, the Senate suspended its order 1b and rule 1b, to make provision for the admission of strangers into its chambers.
Those admitted into the chambers included the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Abdullahi Gumel, the nominated service chiefs and other strangers.
Service chiefs respond to queries
Thereafter, the service chiefs took turn to highlight their career profile and professional experiences, before senate resolved into a close session that lasted for three hours for screening of the nominees.
Earlier, Mr Musa, nominee for the Chief of Defence Staff, had pledged the commitment of the Armed Forces to serve Nigerians in line with the dictates of the Constitution.
He 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.
According to him, he will improve existing strategies and develop new ones to secure the nation’s maritime waters.
Mr 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.
The nominee for Chief of Air Staff, Mr Abubakar said he would mobilise the nation’s air power to ensure peace and security of the country, in line with the aspiration of the president.
He commended the efforts of previous leaders of the air force, but said a lot more needs to be done to revamp the fighting capabilities of the Nigerian Air Force.
Senate President Akpabio said during the closed-door session, the service chiefs answered questions on defence-related matters and topical issues.
The President had in a letter addressed to President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio and read at plenary on Tuesday, July 11 sought approval of the Senate to confirm the service chiefs, in line with Section 18 (1) of the Armed Forces Act, 2004.
The Senate, upon resumption of plenary on Thursday, started the screening of the service chiefs, with each of them mounting the podium to speak on how they would tackle insecurity in the country if confirmed.
The service chiefs confirmed are Maj. Gen. C.G Musa (Chief of Defence Staff); Maj. Gen. T. A Lagbaja (Chief of Army Staff); Rear Admiral E. A Ogalla (Chief of Naval Staff); and AVM H.B Abubakar (Chief of Air Staff).
Shakeup
On June 19, 2023, exactly three weeks after his inauguration, Tinubu removed all service chiefs in Nigeria and appointed new ones whom he directed to resume with immediate effect.
Those affected in the unprecedented shakeup were Alkali Usman who was removed as the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Lucky Irabor, sacked as the Chief of Defence Staff; Faruk Yahaya, retired as the Chief of Army Staff; Awwal Gambo, removed as the Chief of Naval Staff; and Isiaka Amao, retired as Chief of Air Staff.
The President subsequently appointed new service chiefs and named a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu, as his new National Security Adviser (NSA). Ribadu replaced Babagana Monguno as the nation’s NSA.
Tinubu also appointed Adeniyi Adewale as the Acting Comptroller General of Customs.
All the new appointees have since resumed in acting capacity before their confirmation by the National Assembly.
