The House of Representatives, on Monday, screened the Service Chiefs recently appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The nominees are Maj.-Gen. C.G Musa as Chief of Defence Staff; Maj.-Gen. T. A. Lagbaja as Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admiral E. A. Ogalla as Chief of Naval Staff; Air Vice Marshal H.B. Abubakar as Chief of Air Staff.
This is just as the House Ad Hoc Committee on the Screening of Service Chiefs Nominees, chaired by Rep. Babajimi Benson (APC, Lagos), called for the establishment of a Defence Space Force.
The committee was made up of the principal officers of the House, namely Majority Leader, Hon. (Prof.) Julius Ihonvbere (APC/Edo); Deputy Majority Leader, Hon. Abdullahi Ibrahim Halims (APC/Kogi); Chief Whip, Hon. Bello Usman Kumo (APC/Kebbi); and the Deputy Chief Whip, Hon. Adewunmi Oriyomi Onanuga (APC/Ogun).
Others are the Minority Leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda (PDP/Rivers); Deputy Minority Leader, Hon. Aliyu Sani Madaki (NNPP/Kano); Minority Whip, Hon. Ali Isa (PDP/Gombe); and the Deputy Minority Whip, Hon. George Ozodinobi (LP/Anambra).
Rep. Benson, in his welcome address, noted that the exercise was part of the process of institutionalising and legitimising the appointment of the Service Chiefs of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, stressing that the House would “take this seriously and always do it meticulously in accordance with our extant rules.”
Benson said: “For more than 16 years, Nigeria has witnessed diverse and unprecedented level of insecurity in which the Armed Forces of Nigeria have been fully involved, prompting the launch of several theatres of operations and exercises as well as providing support for tackling several domestic security challenges.
“The House of Representatives is delighted with the successes recorded so far, especially in the last one year. We acknowledge these robust achievements, which is a proof of the level of professionalism often displayed by our military in the discharge of their duties.
“We urge you to effectively collaborate with sister security agencies to ensure that all security threats are completely neutralised, and Nigerians can live peacefully.”
The member, who represents Ikorodu Federal Constituency, also noted that the world of security is dynamic and ever changing, while new security threats are emerging across the globe.
“Today, wars are not only fought on the land, sea and air, but also in the cyberspace. Consequently, the art of warfare must, therefore, be a step ahead. This is why Nigeria must tap into and harness the potential of having a Defence Space Force, like in the United States of America.
“While acknowledging the immense contributions of the Defence Space Administration (DSA), there is a need for a full-fledged Defence Space Force to adequately handle potential threats from the cyber space and provide intelligence support to other services,” the chairman stated.
He urged the Service Chiefs to cooperate with the National Assembly while performing their constitutional duties of “ensuring a peaceful, secure and prosperous country for all Nigerians.”
In his opening remarks, the Chief of Defense Staff designate, Maj. Gen. Musa noted that “the realisation of the critical responsibility of the CDS elicits a clear leadership concept which will serve as the roadmap supporting the implementation of relevant guiding principles by the Armed Forces of Nigeria.”
According to him, the significance of the roadmap is to foster a highly disciplined, cohesive and inspired AFN ready to achieve its constitutional roles, facilitate national security and enhance sustainable socio-economic development in the country.
The CDS stated, “In this regard, the broad outline of my leadership concept shall be ‘To Nurture a Professional Armed Forces of Nigeria that is People Centric, Capable of Meeting its Constitutional Responsibilities in a Joint and Collaborative Environment.”
The Chief of Army Staff designate, Maj. Gen. Lagbaja, also remarked that “it is an open secret that our country has suffered an unending insecurity environment in the past few decades, which has impacted adversely upon our socio-economic and political lives.”
“Today’s painful reality is that, insecurity has distorted our developmental plans and our aspirations for a strong, prosperous, global competitive and influential nation.
President Tinubu had on 19th June, 2023, approved the immediate retirement of all Service Chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service and Advisers, and subsequently appointed their successors.
Babajimi Benson
