The Nigerian Senate has concluded the screening of newly appointed Service Chiefs by President Bola Tinubu and confirmed their nominations in their various offices.
Service chiefs confirmed include, 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).
The Senate, upon resumption of plenary on Thursday, started their screening, with each of them mounting the podium to speak on how they will tackle insecurity in the country if confirmed.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio said during the closed-door session, the Service Chiefs answered questions on defence-related matters and topical issues.
President Tinubu had in a letter read on Monday on the floor of the Senate requested that the red chamber confirm the Service Chiefs.
During the screening, the Service Chiefs briefly introduced themselves to the Senators.
The Defence Chief was the first to speak. He said members of the Armed Forces under his watch will work tirelessly to safeguard the country.
He said members of the Armed Forces will continue to serve Nigerians dutifully.
The Army Chief was the second to mount the podium. He said Nigeria has gone through challenging security situations which have impacted on the economy and entire fabric of the society.
He said insecurity has distorted the development plan of Nigeria, saying that he will bring fresh proactive, adaptive and inclusive skills onboard to stop the ugly trend.
The Army Chief said if confirmed by the Senate, he will do his best to justify the confidence of the President in him.
On his part, the Naval Chief said the Nigerian Navy will enhance monitoring and surveillance to ensure its operations are effective.
He promised to improve on the strategies used in the past, develop new strategies, build on inter-agency cooperation to fight oil theft.
For the Air chief, additional air power will be adopted to diminish threats to the country. He said his ultimate focus will be on air fighting capabilities.
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.
