President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commended the Senate for its swift confirmation of General Christopher Musa (rtd.) as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence, describing the development as timely and vital for the nation’s security.
In a post on his official X handle on Thursday, the President expressed satisfaction with the legislature’s prompt action.
“Two days ago, I transmitted the name of General Christopher G. Musa, our immediate past Chief of Defence Staff and a fine gentleman, to the Nigerian Senate for confirmation as the Federal Minister of Defence,” the President wrote.
“I want to commend the Nigerian Senate for its expedited confirmation of General Musa yesterday. His appointment comes at a critical juncture in our lives as a Nation. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
General Musa was screened and confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday, where he briefed lawmakers on the escalating insecurity across the country and outlined his strategy for confronting criminal groups.
He made it clear that the era of negotiating with bandits or paying ransom to kidnappers was over, arguing that such practices embolden criminals rather than deter them.
“There is no negotiation with any criminal,” he told senators. “When people pay ransoms, it buys terrorists time to regroup, re-arm and plan new attacks. Communities that negotiated still got attacked later.”
Musa also noted that ransom payments can be digitally traced and stressed that Nigeria’s financial system has the capacity to track illicit transactions if properly integrated with security agencies. He further highlighted the urgent need for a unified national database linking identity, banking and security systems, saying the lack of such infrastructure weakens counter-terrorism efforts.
While outlining his approach, he warned that military operations alone cannot end Nigeria’s security challenges.
“Kinetic efforts alone cannot win the war,” he said, pointing to poverty, illiteracy, poor governance and weak local government structures as underlying drivers of violence nationwide.
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