…as Senate okays nomination
The Senate on Wednesday confirmed the nomination of General Christopher Gwabin Musa, immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, as Minister of Defence following a rigorous screening in which he presented what lawmakers described as one of the most comprehensive security reform plans seen in recent years.
Nominated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, General Musa told senators that Nigeria has reached a critical juncture in its fight against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and violent crime.
He emphasised the need for a bold, intelligence-driven, and community-rooted security strategy, warning that piecemeal or reactive measures would no longer suffice.
Musa outlined a coordinated national approach anchored on actionable intelligence, modern technology, inter-agency collaboration, and robust community participation.
He promised to introduce data-driven security operations supported by a harmonised national database to track movements, identify suspects, and link crimes across borders, banks, telecoms, and travel systems.
He also stressed the need to modernize border surveillance, strengthen early-warning systems, and enhance cooperation with neighbouring countries.
The nominee noted that restoring public trust and confidence would be central to the success of any security strategy in Nigeria.
He identified Nigeria’s porous borders as a major facilitator of terrorism and banditry, with insurgents and arms smugglers exploiting weak controls to move easily across West Africa.
He pledged reforms to integrate immigration and customs databases and reinforce border patrols with modern equipment.
In outlining his broader philosophy, General Musa emphasised that the battle against insecurity could not be won by force alone.
He insisted that military action must go hand-in-hand with socio-economic reforms that address poverty, unemployment, weak local governance and the collapse of rural economies—conditions he described as “fertile ground” for criminality.
“We cannot shoot our way out of hunger or hopelessness,” he said. “Dialogue, justice and opportunities must stand side-by-side with force where necessary.”
He pledged to work closely with state governments to revitalise community policing, strengthen grassroots intelligence networks and restore trust between citizens and security agencies.
Community vigilance groups, traditional rulers and local leaders, he said, must be fully integrated into the national security framework.
On the welfare of troops, the nominee was emphatic: no security reform would succeed if frontline personnel continued to operate with low morale, inadequate equipment, obsolete vehicles and insufficient protection.
He promised improved welfare packages, timely allowance payments, insurance cover, medical support and better equipment.
“A motivated soldier is worth more than a thousand pieces of military equipment,” he said.
Responding to concerns about recruitment quality, he announced plans to overhaul the recruitment system by introducing deeper intelligence checks jointly conducted by military intelligence and the DSS.
He also advocated re-engaging fit retired personnel, who remain in reserve for three years, to boost manpower and preserve institutional memory.
General Musa dismissed claims that troops often wait for “orders” before engaging criminals, saying such excuses were false and unacceptable.
“Once deployed, a soldier has automatic orders to respond to armed threats,” he said. “Anyone claiming to wait for orders is lying or being cowardly.”
He also tackled emerging threats, including maritime insecurity along the Akwa Ibom–Cameroon corridor, where criminals have shifted operations to the waterways.
He called for a nationwide ban on illegal mining, citing strong links between mining revenue and terrorist financing.
The nominee painted a clear picture of the financial realities of modern warfare, noting that defence is extremely expensive for a nation that imports nearly all its equipment.
A single medium-range drone missile, he said, costs about $100,000, while naval operations consume tens of thousands of litres of fuel within hours.
He urged the National Assembly to support direct government-to-government procurement to cut costs and enhance transparency.
General Musa restated his opposition to negotiating with terrorists, arguing that such agreements only embolden criminals.
“There is no negotiation with any criminal,” he said. “They only use it to buy time and acquire more weapons.”
He vowed to work closely with the Office of the National Security Adviser to ensure states desist from ransom payments.
General Musa expressed deep awareness of the expectations placed on him. “I cannot afford to fail my country, my family or myself,” he said.
He promised a closed-door briefing to the Senate within weeks of assuming office, where he will present a full security roadmap and identify areas requiring legislative support.
He assured Nigerians that noticeable improvements in security operations would begin to emerge within the shortest possible time.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio praised the nominee’s clarity and depth, endorsing his zero-negotiation stance and acknowledging the serious constitutional issues he raised, particularly the unclear lines of authority among the Ministry of Defence, the CDS and service chiefs.
He assured the Senate’s readiness to address these gaps in the ongoing constitutional review.
