Nigeria’s newly appointed Minister of Defence, retired General Christopher Musa, has vowed to lead a robust campaign against insecurity, promising sweeping reforms to strengthen the professionalism of the armed forces.
Speaking on his vision for national security, Musa described the threats confronting Nigeria as “evil forces that don’t mean well for this country and have no respect for human lives.”
“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 said.
Musa also addressed recent high-profile security lapses, including the capture of Brigadier General Uba and the school abductions in Kebbi State, promising swift and transparent investigations.
“Very unfortunate for a brigade commander to be captured and showing the way they did, it’s really unfortunate and very painful. I want to assure Nigerians that we will not stand by and see terrorists have the capacity to do such,” he stated.
He stressed that professional misconduct will no longer be tolerated in the military.
“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,” Musa said.
Drawing on his 39 years of military experience, Musa said he understands the country’s security challenges and the solutions needed.
“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. We can win this war, but we must work together; we must get the support,” he said.
He added that continuous operational review and accountability would be a hallmark of his tenure.
He said, “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. 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.”
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