By Charles Pemu 
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has publicly commended the Senate for its swift confirmation of General Christopher Gwabin Musa (rtd.) as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence, labeling the appointment as both timely and crucial for addressing the nation’s security challenges.
The President expressed his satisfaction with the legislature’s speedy action in a statement posted on his official X handle on Thursday.
“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,” the President wrote.
General Musa was screened and confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday, where he outlined his firm approach to combating insecurity. He assured lawmakers that the era of negotiating with bandits or paying ransom to kidnappers was effectively over, maintaining that such practices serve only to empower criminal networks.
“There is no negotiation with any criminal,” he stated. “When people pay ransoms, it buys terrorists time to regroup, re-arm and plan new attacks. Communities that negotiated still got attacked later.”
Musa further argued that ransom payments could be digitally tracked, insisting that Nigeria’s financial system possesses the capability to trace illicit financial flows if fully integrated with national security efforts.
The new Minister of Defence also stressed that military force alone would not resolve the crisis.
“Kinetic efforts alone cannot win the war,” he cautioned, emphasizing that underlying issues like poverty, illiteracy, poor governance, and weak local government structures continue to fuel violence.
He underscored the urgent need for a unified national database that effectively links identity, banking, and security systems. Musa contended that the absence of such a cohesive infrastructure significantly undermines the nation’s counter-terrorism operations.