The Senate on Wednesday confirmed the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd), as the Minister of Defence.
The Upper Legislative Chamber confirmed Musa on Wednesday via a voice vote after hours of a rigorous screening session in the Committee of the Whole.
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday nominated Musa as the new minister of defence following the resignation of his predecessor, Badaru Abubakar.
The new minister, who was in service for 39 years before his retirement, said that it was a “defining moment for him” while he was the CDS.
“I pledge to give my best to ensure that Nigeria is safe. We need the support of all Nigerians.
“The terrorists are the enemies of Nigeria; they have no respect for human life.
“We must first love one another. I assure you we will work united as when I was the CDS. We cannot win the war until we are determined.
“The Sahel is hitting up. Our borders must be secured, security agencies must be supported. Nigeria is great. We will never be ashamed. We are one people,” he stated.
Musa described the frequent abduction of students by terrorists as “very unfortunate,” stating that despite the rollout of the Safe School Initiative last year, many schools remained highly vulnerable.
He added: “We need to look at it critically and make sure the approach is holistic.
“Crime is localised, and security agencies cannot be everywhere. Communities must be resilient and capable of being first responders.”
The minister lamented the absence of basic security infrastructure in many schools.
“Most schools have been built, but when you visit them, there is no perimeter fence. They are left exposed,” he noted.
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