The Senate will today (Wednesday) screen and possibly confirm the newly appointed service chiefs nominated by President Bola Tinubu, as part of ongoing efforts to revamp the nation’s security architecture.
Tinubu, in a letter read during Tuesday’s plenary by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, urged lawmakers to give “expeditious consideration” to the nominees.
The President named Gen. Olufemi Oluyede as the Chief of Defence Staff; Maj. Gen. Waidi Shaibu as the Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admiral Idi Abbas as the Chief of Naval Staff; Air Vice Marshal Kennedy Aneke as the Chief of Air Staff; and Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Undiendeye as the Chief of Defence Intelligence.
Akpabio referred the President’s request to the Committee of the Whole for screening and confirmation, scheduled to hold today.
The development comes barely 48 hours after Tinubu held a closed-door meeting with the new service chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja — his first formal engagement with the military hierarchy since last Friday’s sweeping reshuffle.
The Presidency had described the shake-up as part of efforts to “strengthen the national security architecture.”
Tinubu also expressed appreciation to the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, and other retired officers for their “patriotic service and dedicated leadership.”
He charged the new appointees to justify the confidence reposed in them by upholding professionalism, vigilance, and unity within the Armed Forces.
The administration believes the new appointments, once confirmed, will enhance inter-agency coordination and strengthen the fight against insurgency, banditry, and other security threats nationwide.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Abubakar, on Tuesday, received the newly appointed Chief of Defence Staff and the three service chiefs during a courtesy visit to his office at the Ministry of Defence, Ship House, Abuja.
The meeting, according to a statement on Tuesday, marked the first official visit of the new military chiefs to the minister following their appointments.
The shake-up in the military hierarchy came in the wake of rumours of an alleged failed coup, which a report by Sahara Reporters linked to the detention of 16 senior military officers and the cancellation of this year’s Independence Day parade on October 1.
Although the Defence Headquarters dismissed the reports as false and malicious, public speculation has persisted, particularly in light of the sudden leadership changes.
Meanwhile, the opposition African Democratic Congress has called for greater transparency from the Federal Government regarding the alleged coup attempt and the circumstances surrounding the recent military reshuffle.
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