The Senate on Wednesday confirmed the nomination of Lieutenant-General Olufemi Oluyede as the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
Also confirmed were the Chief of Army Staff, Major-General Waheedi Shaibu; Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Idi Abbas; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Kennedy Aneke.
The confirmation followed the screening of the security chiefs behind closed doors for over five hours by senators.
However, only Shaibu, Abbas, and Aneke were grilled in detail in camera, as the Senate, earlier in open session, allowed Oluyede to take a bow and sit to monitor the screening of the other three.
The Senate extended the honour of taking a bow to Oluyede on the grounds that, having been previously screened in his former capacity as Chief of Army Staff, senators already had the requisite information about him; hence, a repeat screening was unnecessary.
Speaking during the confirmation, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, said the lawmakers found the nominees ‘suitable’ to function in their new roles.
He disclosed that senators from across all the states in the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) took turns to ask questions, adding that the service chiefs too answered accordingly.
‘They made us understand that their predecessors did more than just security duties, such as building schools in areas ravaged by insurgency. Those schools are now being manned by the National Orientation Agency (NOA).’
According to Akpabio, the security chiefs also offered advice on how to enhance security in rural communities by ensuring that the autonomy of local councils is guaranteed.
In addition, he said the service chiefs made a case for strengthening the country’s police force through manpower training and proper equipping.
By doing so, the service chiefs noted, the military would be freed from some of the burden it carried, which should ordinarily be police duties.
Addressing the Senate earlier, before the closed session, General Oluyede spoke of his experience as a soldier, saying that it ‘required courage and determination’ to accept the challenge.
He said that during his tenure as Chief of Army Staff, he was neither sleeping well nor having enough time to himself.
‘Resources are not enough, and the enablers are not enough; hence, prosecuting the war against terrorism was challenging,’ he told the Senate.
The new CDS further spoke on the need for Nigeria to ‘develop our own local military industrial complex’ to be able to adapt quickly to changing times, as the country might not be able to continue importing expensive military hardware.
He also urged both the government and Nigerians to accord adequate respect to the welfare of military personnel, similar to the treatment they receive in other climes.
On his part, Aneke was asked questions on the whereabouts of the Super Tucano planes the country bought during the administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari for the purpose of combating insurgency.
Senator Abdul Ningi, while asking a question, reminded the new air chief that Nigeria spent over $1.2 billion to procure the jets but noted that the aircraft seemed to have done very little in achieving the purpose for which they were bought.
‘Where are our Super Tucano planes?’ Ningi asked.
Responding, Aneke described aviation as an ‘expensive business’ that could make a $1.2 billion investment look like a spoon.
‘The Tucanos are doing what they have been paid to do. They are extremely expensive, and they are located mostly in the North-East and North-West for operations.
‘Those airplanes are flying. They are fighting. They are not grounded,’ he added.