Senate Confirms New Service Chiefs
•••As CDS Insists On Adequate Funding Of Police To Reduce Pressure On Military
••••New Military Chiefs Harp On Technology Driven Armed Forces, Inter-Agency Synergy, Improved Personnel Welfare
•By Admin
ABUJA – THE Senate on Wednesday confirmed the nomination of the Service Chiefs sent to it by President Bola Tinubu.
The nominees are Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Olufemi Oluyede, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Major General Waidi Shaibu, Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Vice marshal Sunday Aneke, and the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Rear Admiral Idi Abbas.
The nominees were accompanied to the chamber by the Special Adviser to the President on Senate Matters, Bashir Lado; Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru; Chief of Defence Intelligence, Emmanuel Undiendeye, a major general, and other senior security officials.
The Immediate past Chief of Army Staff, now Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Lt General Olufemi Oluyede, while responding to questions from Senators called on the Federal Government to empower the Police through funding to relieve the military from engaging in internal security and for it to concentrate on its constitutional responsibility of defending the country against external aggression.
He said, “I believe the police need to be restructured and strengthened. Many of the internal security duties currently handled by the military rightly belong to the police. Empowering the Nigeria Police Force will allow the Army to focus more on external defence and counterterrorism operations.
“The fight against insecurity requires a whole-of-society approach. Security should not be left solely to the armed forces. Every citizen, institution, and community has a role to play in making Nigeria safer.”
He also lamented what he described as inadequate funding for the military, highlighting that it was affecting the force`s maximum performance.
Oluyede, who highlighted his over 30 years of military service, during which he obtained several professional qualifications and attended various strategic courses, described his tenure as Chief of Army Staff as challenging but noted that insecurity in Nigeria has reduced significantly under his watch.
Oluyede, who urged the government to prioritise local production of military equipment, described the reliance on imported hardware as costly and unsustainable, just as he appealed to lawmakers to enact legislation to regulate the sharing of sensitive information.
The exercise began around 12:44 p.m. after the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, moved a motion to admit the nominees into the chamber in accordance with the Senate’s standing rules.
President Bola Tinubu had on 25 October announced the appointment of the new service chiefs after relieving their predecessors of their duties, while retaining the Chief of Defence Intelligence.
The presidency described the changes as a strategic realignment aimed at deepening professionalism, boosting morale, and enhancing inter-agency coordination in national security operations.
On Tuesday, Mr Akpabio read a letter from the president requesting the screening and confirmation of the nominees, which was referred to the Committee of the Whole.
Senator Akpabio, before inviting the nominee to speak, commended his service record, noting that Nigerians had celebrated his appointment as Chief of Army Staff due to his reputation as a field officer who led from the front.
Akpabio said, “You are not a general who sits in the office. You have been in the theatre of warfare, serving the nation meritoriously. Since you assumed office, there has been no part of Nigeria where the Boko Haram flag has been hoisted. You have reduced attacks to isolated incidents and saved the nation from countless threats. We are proud of you.”
On his part, the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Idi Abbas kicked against the proposed Bill seeking to establish the Nigerian Coast Guard that seeks to establish the Nigerian Coast Guard to be charged with the responsibility of securing maritime zones within Nigeria.
In their individual presentations the new military chiefs harped on a military that is self-reliant, technology-driven, anchored on synergy, local production, and improved welfare for personnel.
The Nominee, who noted that the creation would amount to the duplication of agencies, said that half of such money for the creation of a guard should be given to the Navy to work.
The confirmation was after a closed-door session that lasted hours.