Nigeria’s Senate on Thursday confirmed the appointments of the new Chief of Defence Staff and the Service Chiefs for Army, Navy and Air Force.
This was sequel to the adoption of the report presented to the plenary by the Joint Senate Committee on Defence, Army, Navy and Air Force that had earlier screened them.
Those confirmed in line with the appointments made by President Goodluck Jonathan on January 16, 2014, are: Air Marshal Alex Badeh- Chief of Defence Staff, replacing Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim, Major General Tobiah Minimah- Army, Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin- Naval and Vice Marshal Adesola Amosu- Air Force.
In his remarks, Senate Minority Leader, George Akume (APC- Benue), said his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) was not in any way against the appointments of the Service Chiefs.
He disclosed this against the background of the APC directive that its members in both Chambers of the National Assembly should block all Executive Bills to protest impunity in Rivers state.
According to Akume, ”I wish to state here that we at the other side are in full support of the appointments of Chief of Defence Staff and service chief”.
However, he enjoined the top military brass to work in line with democratic tenets and that they must see their appointments as service to their fatherland.
The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the plenary, said that for the first time in Nigeria’s democratic history, appointments of service chiefs were subjected to legislative scrutiny as required by the constitution.
Ekweremadu therefore, called on the new Service Chiefs to discharge their duties effectively to ensure speedy return of peace and tranquility across the land.
