Senate Confirms Maj. Gen Musa, Lagbaja, Two Others As Service Chiefs

The Senate, on Thursday confirmed the recently appointed Service Chiefs, as earlier requested by President Bola Tinubu in a letter he wrote to the Senate.

The Senate had earlier suspended relevant sections of its Standing Rules, to allow the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Abdullah Gumel, to bring the Service into the Chamber for the exercise.

After their arrival, the Service Chiefs were allowed few minutes each to introduce themselves before the lawmakers resolved to go into closed session for obvious security reasons.

Tinubu had on Tuesday this week, asked the nation’s apex legislative Assembly, to confirm the appointment of the new Service Chiefs.

He made the request in a letter dated July 5, 2023, and addressed to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, which he read on the floor of the Chamber at plenary.

The Service Chiefs who are currently undergoing screening in closed session in the Red Chambers are: Maj. Gen. Christopher Musa, Chief of Defence Staff; Maj. T. A. Lagbaja, Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admirral Ikechukwu Ogalla, Chief of Naval Staff and AVM H.B. Abubakar, Chief of Air Staff.

Speaking briefly before the screening exerce,
some Senators, especially Senator Garba vowed that the screening exercise of the Service Chiefs would be thorough and non of them will be given the privilege of a mere bow and go.

The screening session, which lasted for three hours ended about 3.00pm, with the President of the Senate, announcing that all the Service Chiefs all successfully scaled through the process.

Before the screening commenced, some Senators, particularly Senator Garba Musa Maidoki (PDP, Kebbi South), stressed that the screening exercise of the Service Chiefs would be thorough and that none of them would be given the privilege of a mere bow and go, because security is a serious matter.

Also, after the screening in closed session, and shortly before the actual confirmation of the four Service Chiefs, the Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Ali Ndume cautioned his colleagues on the danger of rushing after top military officers, to exchange pleasantries with them.

He advised those wishing to greet the nominees, to do that outside the Senate Chambers to avoid unnecessary distractions and belittling the sacred Chambers of the country’s highest lawmaking body.

In a brief remark by the President of the Senate, Akpabio, he pointed out that during the closed door screening, the defense chiefs answered questions posed to them on security issues and other issues that would ensure the well-being of the country.

After this, Akpabio read out the names of the Service Chiefs one by one and subjected them to voice vote by the Senators, during which they were all confirmed.

Earlier, during their introduction before the Senate went into executive session for the exercise, the Service Chiefs, all promised to do their best to effectively tackle the security challenges that have festered in the country.