President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded a formal request to the Senate seeking the screening and confirmation of the newly appointed service chiefs who were announced earlier this week. The request was conveyed in an official letter addressed to the Senate and read aloud during Tuesday’s plenary session by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
According to the communication from the President, the nominated officers include General Olufemi Oluyede as the Chief of Defence Staff; Major-General Waheedi Shaibu as the Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admiral Idi Abbas as the Chief of Naval Staff; Air Vice Marshal Kennedy Aneke as the Chief of Air Staff; and Major-General Emmanuel Undiendeye as the Chief of Defence Intelligence.
The proposed confirmation comes as part of the constitutional requirement that mandates the President to seek legislative approval for the appointment of service chiefs. The Senate is expected to scrutinize the careers, experience, and suitability of the nominees before granting approval. Such screenings often focus on national security priorities, military professionalism, human rights considerations, inter-agency collaboration, and operational strategies for tackling insurgency, banditry, separatist tensions, maritime insecurity, and kidnapping across various regions of the country.
Upon reading the President’s letter, Senate President Akpabio referred the nominees to the Committee of the Whole — meaning the screening will be conducted publicly at the Senate floor rather than by a specialized standing committee. Akpabio directed that the exercise be scheduled for next week, indicating that the confirmation may be fast-tracked in view of ongoing security concerns nationwide.
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The appointments follow a series of high-level security consultations held at the Presidential Villa. On Monday, President Tinubu met with the new service chiefs in a closed-door session, during which strategic security directives were reportedly discussed. While details of the meeting were not disclosed, sources familiar with the discussions indicated that the President emphasized the urgency of reviewing counterinsurgency campaigns, strengthening intelligence gathering, and improving synergy among the military, police, and other security agencies.
Details later…
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