– Adejola Adeyemi Crown
Abuja – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has sworn in retired Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, as Nigeria’s new Defence Minister.
The ceremony took place on Thursday at the State House, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, confirmed.
Musa, who was nominated following the resignation of Mohammed Badaru Abubakar on health grounds, assured Nigerians during his Senate screening that the country has the capacity to overcome insurgency, kidnapping, and banditry through collective action.
“We can win this war, but we have to work together; if we collaborate with one another, it is very possible. Everyone, state governors, we have to be on it,” Musa told senators.
He emphasized that cooperation between political leaders and the Armed Forces, alongside the deployment of modern technology and adequate funding, is crucial to the fight against terrorism.
The new Defence Minister also promised a thorough review of current security strategies and a holistic investigation into lapses, including the controversial troop withdrawal from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, which led to the abduction of 24 schoolgirls two weeks ago.
