By peterside Rejoice
Senate Confirms New Service Chiefs After Plenary, 4-Hour Closed-Door Screening
The Senate on Wednesday confirmed the appointment of Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede as Chief of Defence Staff, alongside other newly nominated service chiefs, after a thorough screening session at the National Assembly.
President Bola Tinubu had, in a letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during Tuesday’s plenary, requested the upper chamber to confirm the appointments of the new military heads.
Those confirmed include Major General Waidi 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, who was retained as Chief of Defence Intelligence.
The confirmation followed a closed-door session during which the Senate deliberated extensively on national security matters. It was gathered that while part of the screening was conducted openly during plenary, some sensitive questions relating to security operations and defence strategy were taken behind closed doors for confidentiality.
During his appearance before the lawmakers, Oluyede, who previously served as Nigeria’s 24th Chief of Army Staff, called for the establishment of a local military industrial complex to reduce the country’s overdependence on foreign nations for defence equipment. He described the current reliance on imported military hardware as unsustainable and economically draining.
“For Nigeria to move forward, it is imperative that we develop our own local military industrial complex,” he said. “We can’t keep buying equipment from outside because these things are extremely expensive. The country must build its capacity to produce the equipment required to prosecute wars and address the security challenges facing us.”
Oluyede noted that the nature of insecurity in Nigeria had become increasingly complex, encompassing terrorism, banditry, cyberattacks, and misinformation. He stressed that addressing these threats required a comprehensive, national response involving every segment of society.
“In doing better, it requires a whole-of-society approach; everybody must be involved. It shouldn’t be left to the military alone to prosecute and face all these challenges,” he stated.
The defence chief-designate also underscored the need to restructure and strengthen the Nigeria Police Force, noting that many of the internal security tasks currently handled by the army fall within the police’s constitutional mandate.
“Most of the jobs currently being carried out by the military fall within the purview of the police,” he said. “It’s important for the nation to empower the police, make it stronger and more formidable so that they can effectively perform their duties while we focus on defending Nigeria against external aggression.”
Oluyede also spoke about the welfare of soldiers, describing military service as a unique form of sacrifice that requires courage and dedication. He acknowledged that limited financial resources had hindered efforts to improve the welfare of troops and their families but pledged to make their well-being a top priority.
“My tenure as Chief of Army Staff was quite challenging, and while things have improved tremendously, we can do better,” he said. “It required cognate experience, sleepless nights, and total dedication to the safety of our nation. We all know resources are limited, but Nigeria must build its own capacity to confront emerging security threats from terrorism to cybercrime.”
Oluyede further emphasized the importance of managing information effectively to counter misinformation and propaganda, which he described as one of the growing dimensions of insecurity.
Born in 1968, the newly confirmed Chief of Defence Staff is a career military officer with decades of operational and administrative experience in the Nigerian Army.
The Senate’s confirmation of the new service chiefs is expected to usher in a new phase in Nigeria’s security architecture, as the administration of President Tinubu seeks to strengthen coordination among the armed forces, improve local defence capacity, and enhance the welfare of personnel engaged in protecting the nation.
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