President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has applauded the Senate for its swift confirmation of General Christopher Musa (rtd.) as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence, describing the appointment as timely and crucial for the nation’s security needs.
In a statement posted on his official X handle on Thursday, the President expressed satisfaction with the legislature’s speedy action.
The President wrote: “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,”
“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.”
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.
I want to commend the Nigerian Senate for its expedited confirmation…
— Bola Ahmed Tinubu (@officialABAT) December 4, 2025
General Musa was screened and confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday, where he addressed lawmakers on the country’s worsening insecurity and outlined his approach to tackling criminal groups.
He assured Nigerians that the era of negotiating with bandits or paying ransom to kidnappers was over, insisting that such practices strengthened criminal networks. “There is no negotiation with any criminal,” he told the Senate.
“When people pay ransoms, it buys terrorists time to regroup, re-arm and plan new attacks. Communities that negotiated still got attacked later.”
Musa argued that ransom payments could be digitally tracked and emphasised that Nigeria’s financial system had the capacity to trace illicit financial flows if fully integrated with security efforts.
He also stressed the need for a unified national database that links identity, banking and security systems, saying the absence of such infrastructure undermines counter-terrorism operations.
According to him, military force alone would not resolve Nigeria’s security crisis.
“Kinetic efforts alone cannot win the war,” he cautioned, noting that poverty, illiteracy, poor governance and weak local government structures continued to fuel violence.
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