The Senate on Thursday in plenary confirmed the appointment of Service Chiefs, nominated by President Bola Tinubu.
The Senate's confirmation was a sequel to the consideration and approval of a motion brought by Senate Majority Leader, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidela (APC-Ekiti), on the confirmation of the shortlisted service chiefs.
The service chiefs confirmed were: Chief of Defence Staff, Maj.-Gen. Christopher Musa; Chief of Army Staff, Maj.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja; Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla; and Chief of Air Staff, AVM Hassan Abubakar.
Before their confirmation, the Senate suspended Order 1b and Rule 1b to make provision for the admittance of strangers into its chamber.
Those admitted into the chamber included the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Sen. Abdullahi Gumel, the nominated service chiefs, and other strangers.
Thereafter, the service chiefs took turns to highlight their career profiles and professional experiences before the Senate resolved into a close session that lasted for three hours for the screening of the nominees.
Earlier, Maj.-Gen. Musa, the nominee for the Chief of Defence Staff, pledged the commitment of the Armed Forces to serve Nigerians in line with the dictates of the Constitution.
He said his nomination was an opportunity to bring his vast experiences to bear for the security and protection of the lives and properties of Nigerians, and he pledged to do his best to justify the confidence reposed in him.
Nominated for Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Ogalla said he would put in his best to upgrade the standard he met, assuring Nigerians that he was fully prepared for the job.
According to him, he will improve existing strategies and develop new ones to secure the nation’s maritime waters.
Ogalla said he would collaborate with other services to secure the nation’s waterways, adding that he would initiate continuous monitoring and surveillance to achieve maximum results.
The nominee for Chief of Air Staff, AVM Hassan Abubakar, said he would mobilise the nation’s air power to ensure peace and security in the country, in line with the aspiration of the president.
He commended the efforts of previous leaders of the air force but said a lot more needs to be done to revamp the fighting capabilities of the Nigerian Air Force.
Tinubu had, in a letter addressed to the President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, and read at plenary on Tuesday, sought approval of the Senate to confirm the service chiefs in line with Section 18 (1) of the Armed Forces Act, 2004.