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General Christopher Musa rtd., takes oath of Office as Nigeria's Minister of Defence.

With nearly four decades of service in uniform; from the early days at the Nigerian Defence Academy to leading operations across multiple theatres and ultimately serving as Chief of Defence Staff, he has witnessed firsthand both the sacrifices and resilience of our Armed Forces.

He carries into this new role the lessons of experience, and the conviction that unity, discipline, professionalism, patriotism and integrity remain the greatest assets of our security architecture.

CONGRATULATIONS, GENERAL CHRISTOPHER MUSA, BUT I DO NOT ENVY YOU.

I listened attentively as you addressed the National Assembly during your screening, and your patriotic instincts were unmistakable. Your grasp of Nigeria’s worsening security challenges was clear, and your call for collective national support was sincere. You understand the terrain better than most, and by the same token, you understand the truth.

You expressed gratitude to the National Assembly for the support they extended to you as Chief of Defence Staff. For the sake of Nigerians, kindly enlighten us on the nature of that support, because whatever it was, it did not reflect in the war against terrorism.

Between the period you retired and today, what exactly has changed? And what will you do differently as Minister of Defence?

The uncomfortable truth is this, the enemies of Nigeria are not in distant forests, they sit in the very chambers you addressed. They are the ones who pad security budgets, submit lists of so-called repentant terrorists for recruitment into security agencies, collect bribes before passing budgets, inflate contract figures, divert relief materials meant for their constituents, and weaponize poverty for political gain. They pass harsh tax laws after receiving inducements and repeatedly mortgage their oversight responsibilities for dollars.

Their dead silence while you called for cooperation to defeat insecurity was instructive. What collaboration can be expected from a legislature that profits from the misery of its electorate?

Your intentions are noble, and you remain one of the brightest minds to emerge from the Nigerian military. But there is no guarantee you will make any meaningful impact. You will be an island surrounded by an ocean of wolves whose primary objective is to drain the nation dry.

As Minister, how will you withstand the entrenched cabal around President Tinubu, men who insist on having their way in every matter? As Chief of Defence Staff, you could access the President with relative ease, but that privilege diminishes once you enter the bureaucratic cage of the ministry. Will you sacrifice your reputation by paying “toll gate fees” in dollars just to secure audience with the President, even during national emergencies?

Before accepting this appointment, did you extract clear commitments from the President regarding protocol and operational autonomy? If not, you may soon discover the humiliating obstacles placed between ministers and the President unless one is willing to bribe their way through.

From personal experience, I do not envy your position.

If President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is truly committed to tackling insecurity, he must overhaul the entire security architecture, root and branch. He must remove incompetent elements and issue definitive, time-bound directives as Commander-in-Chief. But if he continues to play politics with insecurity to secure 2027, massaging terrorism while deceiving the public with cosmetic reshuffles, then there is no miracle General Musa can perform. No one can fight a war the President is not committed to winning.

Since you have staked the fixed deposit of your reputation on this appointment, I can only join the band of prayer warriors on your behalf. As you navigate the turbulent waters of this renewed hopelessness agenda, remember, it is impossible to invite an angel from heaven to dance in the mud and expect him to return with an unstained robe.

May destiny be kind to you.

Solomon Dalung, LLM, LLB, BL
Igbarman Otarok & Garkuwa Arewa
Voice of the Silent Majority
[email protected]

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