Major General Waheedi Shaibu was on Wednesday confirmed as the new Chief of Army Staff by the Nigerian Senate, just as it also directed him to “take a bow” and assume office immediately.
Shaibu’s confirmation came barely an hour after the upper chamber cleared General Olufemi Oluyede as Chief of Defence Staff, marking the commencement of the screening process for President Bola Tinubu’s newly appointed service chiefs.
The screening and subsequent confirmation of Shaibu and Oluyede signal the Senate’s readiness to fast-track the confirmation process of all service chiefs appointed by President Tinubu as part of his broader effort to reinvigorate Nigeria’s security leadership.
The confirmation exercise, held at the National Assembly complex in Abuja, took place under tight security as senators commenced a series of closed and open sessions to vet the nominees.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who presided over the session, said the exercise was a constitutional responsibility designed to ensure that only the most competent and patriotic officers are entrusted with the nation’s security.
Akpabio however appealed that ‘There is no need to ask them too many questions because we will be having a closed-door session with them.”
In a show of confidence, the lawmaker representing Kogi East, Senator Isah Jubrin, attested to Shaibu’s competence and character, describing him as the right man for the job.
“The officer is well known to me. I have known him for 30 years. Shaibu is humble and takes his job very seriously. I want to believe that is an asset,” he said.
“I believe he has what it takes to move Nigeria out of the challenges the country is experiencing today,” he added.I
