Senate confirms nomination of Service Chiefs

Senate on Thursday at plenary confirmed the appointment of Service Chiefs, nominated by President Bola Tinubu.

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

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

Before their confirmation, the Senate suspended its order 1b and rule 1b, to make provision for the admittance of strangers into its chamber.

Those admitted into the chamber included the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Sen. Abdullahi Gumel, the nominated service chiefs and other strangers.

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, Maj.-Gen. Musa, nominee for the Chief of Defence Staff, 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.

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

According to him, he will 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.

The nominee for Chief of Air Staff, AVM Hassan 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.

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