The Senate on Wednesday confirmed the appointment of the newly nominated service chiefs, marking a significant step in President Bola Tinubu’s ongoing overhaul of the nation’s military leadership.
Those confirmed include Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede as Chief of Defence Staff; Major General Waidi Shaibu as Chief of Army Staff; Air Vice Marshal Sunday Aneke as Chief of Air Staff; and Rear Admiral Idi Abbas as Chief of Naval Staff.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the confirmation after the lawmakers cleared the nominees through a unanimous voice vote during the Committee of the Whole session.
The confirmation followed a closed-door screening that lasted about an hour. Before the session went into executive mode, each nominee appeared before the legislators to address non-sensitive matters, outlining their career achievements and strategic plans to combat insecurity across the country.
Upon resumption of open proceedings, Akpabio said the senators had engaged the nominees extensively on Nigeria’s pressing security challenges and expressed satisfaction with their responses.
He subsequently put the confirmation to a voice vote, and all senators voted in favour.
Following the confirmation, Akpabio congratulated the new service chiefs and commended President Tinubu for their selection, noting that the appointments would inspire renewed public confidence in the nation’s security institutions.
“We believe that this will renew the hope of Nigerians in respect of security issues,” the Senate President said.
