The new Defence Minister, General Christopher Musa (retd), has pledged to overhaul military professionalism and launched a defence of the nation’s capacity to defeat its internal adversaries.
Musa was screened by the Senate on Wednesday following his nomination by President Bola Tinubu.
Musa opened his remarks by assuring the Senate and Nigerians of his commitment to national security.
“I pledge to do my best to ensure that Nigeria is secure and safe. We need the support of everyone, every Nigerian, working together as a team because it’s going to be a team effort,” he stated.
He described the current security threats as “evil forces that don’t mean well for this country and have no respect for human lives,” and emphasised the need for unified national support to deny them success.
Responding to questions from Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, regarding the reported withdrawal of soldiers before school abductions in Maga, Kebbi State, and the widely publicised capture of a Brigadier General Uba, Musa promised immediate and transparent investigations.
“Starting with the issues of General Uba, very unfortunate for a brigade commander to be captured and showing the way they did, it’s really unfortunate and very painful,” Musa said.
He continued, asserting that the military would take decisive action.
“I want to assure Nigerians that we will not stand by and see terrorists have the capacity to do such. We are going to go after them, working with all the security agencies and MDAs, we are going to investigate fully,” he said.
Musa promised a zero-tolerance approach to professional misconduct, saying, “No indolence, no act of cowardice will be entertained.
“We are going to make sure that we follow them to see what they are doing, from the commanders down to the troops. They must be professional.”
On the captured general, Musa expressed concern, saying, “I was wondering how a general himself was alone when he was supposed to be with his troops; these are questions that need answering.”
Similarly, regarding the school abductions, he stated, “It’s unfortunate that the troops will be there and then will leave and shortly before something happens. We are going to investigate, and all those found culpable will face the law accordingly.
“We’ll monitor all the activities of the armed forces and security agencies to ensure that they remain very professional. Any information that comes will be treated adequately, and we’ll make sure that the troops also take action as quickly as possible.”
Drawing on his 39 years of military service, Musa affirmed his understanding of the security challenges and the necessary solutions.
He said, “I want to assure Nigerians that as I’m coming on board, having served 39 years. All through my career in the armed forces, we have seen what is going on, we have understood what is going on, and we know what we need.
“What I’m appealing is that with your approval, when we come on board, we’ll come back to you and show you what we need for us to do better to achieve success.
“We can win this war, but we must work together; we must get the support.”
He also promised continuous operational review, saying, “From Day 1, we are going to monitor and review all our activities, where we have done wrong, we’ll take measures to address them. Where things need to be done, we’ll come back again because there are areas that we still need your support. ”
“We are going to spend everything that is required to ensure that there is peace in Nigeria, our children are going to be secured and safe, but it’s going to be that all of us are working together in ensuring that is achieved.”
