Senate confirms appointments of service chiefs

The Senate, Thursday, approved the appointments of new Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, and other service chiefs.

Those confirmed include the CDS, Air Marshal Alex Badeh; Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Major-General Kenneth Tobiah Minimah; Chief of Naval Staff, CNS, Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin, and Chief of Air Staff, CAS, Air Vice Marshal Adesola Nunayon Amosu. The confirmation of the new military bosses followed their successful screening by the Joint Senate Committees on Defence, Army, Navy and Air Force, which were last Thursday, asked to screen them and submit the report within one week. This was even as the All Progressives Congress, APC, which had earlier directed its members in the National Assembly to block their confirmation as well as those of the new ministerial list, has said it was not against the appointments of the new CDS and service chiefs. Speaking through its Senate Minority Leader, George Akume (Benue North-West), the party said it was in full support of the appointments. “I wish to state here that we, in this side, are in full support of the appointments of Chief of Defence Staff and the service chiefs,” Akume stated. The party also explained that the participation of its senators in the rigorous screening of the service chiefs and the debate on the general principles of the Appropriation Bill 2014 are in fact in compliance with the directive of the party. “The directive was not for Senators to boycott their legislative business, rather their participation will lead to the ultimate execution of the party directive