The Senate will on Wednesday screen the newly appointed service chiefs nominated by President Bola Tinubu as part of sweeping changes to Nigeria’s military leadership.
In a letter read on the floor by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during Tuesday’s plenary, Tinubu urged lawmakers to give “expeditious consideration” to the appointments.
The President named General Olufemi Oluyede as Chief of Defence Staff; Major General Waheedi Shaibu as Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admiral Idi Abbas as Chief of Naval Staff; Air Vice Marshal Kennedy Aneke as Chief of Air Staff; and Major General Emmanuel Undiendeye as Chief of Defence Intelligence.
Akpabio referred the nominations to the Committee of the Whole for screening and confirmation scheduled for Wednesday.
The development comes barely 48 hours after Tinubu held a closed-door meeting with the new service chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The meeting was the President’s first official engagement with the new military hierarchy following last Friday’s reshuffle.
The Presidency had explained that the shake-up was “in furtherance of the efforts of the Federal Government to strengthen the national security architecture.”
Tinubu also expressed appreciation to the outgoing Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, and other retired officers for their “patriotic service and dedicated leadership.”
Charging the new appointees, the President said they must “justify the confidence reposed in them by promoting professionalism, vigilance, and unity within the Armed Forces.”
The administration believes the appointments, once confirmed, will bolster inter-agency coordination and strengthen the fight against insurgency, banditry, and other security challenges nationwide.
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