The Senate, on Wednesday, confirmed Major General Waheedi Shaibu as the new Chief of Army Staff, instructing him to “take a bow” and immediately assume his duties.
His confirmation followed shortly after the upper chamber approved General Olufemi Oluyede as Chief of Defence Staff, marking the start of the screening for President Bola Tinubu’s newly appointed service chiefs.
The confirmation session, held at the National Assembly complex in Abuja, was conducted under heavy security, with lawmakers holding both open and closed-door meetings to evaluate the nominees.
Presiding over the proceedings, Senate President Godswill Akpabio emphasized that the screening was a constitutional duty aimed at ensuring that only the most capable and patriotic officers are entrusted with safeguarding Nigeria’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.
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.