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The Senate will screen Christopher Musa, the former Chief of Defence Staff, for appointment as Minister of Defence on December 3.
The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, disclosed this in a statement from his media and public affairs directorate on Tuesday, describing the screening as a step towards strengthening internal peace and national security.
Musa’s nomination follows the resignation of Mohammed Badaru, who recently stepped down from the role due to health concerns.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu forwarded Musa’s name to Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday for legislative confirmation. Bamidele confirmed the receipt of the request, noting that the letter would be read on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday ahead of the screening exercise.
“We cannot delay such a request especially at this crucial time in the history of our fatherland,” Bamidele said, adding that urgency is required given ongoing national security challenges and the government’s operations against bandits, terrorists and other threats.
He stressed that the current security situation and the declared state of emergency on national safety make collaboration between the executive and legislature imperative.
“The screening of the defence minister nominee is one of the ways to demonstrate such synergy purely in the national interest,” he added.
