Senate President Godswill Akpabio openly declared the intense pressure Nigerian leaders and lawmakers are facing due to the country’s escalating security crisis particularly from the international community.
During Wednesday’s plenary session, while screening Defence Minister nominee, retired Gen. Christopher Musa, Akpabio vehemently rejected suggestions from some senators that Musa should be allowed to simply “take a bow and go.”
In an impassioned moment, Akpabio insisted that the nominee must be thoroughly grilled, warning his colleagues that both Nigerians and the international community were closely watching the entire confirmation process.
“This is not a period we should say bow and go. Even Donald Trump is on our neck,” he said, referencing global attention on Nigeria’s worsening security situation.
Persecondnews reports that the tension began when Senator Sani Musa (APC, Niger East) proposed that the former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Musa, be allowed to “take a bow” without formal questioning.
This suggestion immediately triggered a visible uproar across the chamber, with several lawmakers rising in protest and the session descending into rowdiness, prompting Senate President Akpabio to intervene.
A particularly agitated Senator Garba Maidoki (PDP, Kebbi South) marched toward the Senate President’s seat, forcefully demanding that the nominee be interrogated on critical national security issues.
Akpabio quickly agreed with the necessity of questioning, stating that, given the escalating insecurity, Nigerians deserved to hear directly from the nominee.
“Our constituents would like to hear from him. We are asking him questions because our constituents would like to ask him questions too.
“With over 200 children in the bush being tortured, give the man an opportunity to give Nigerians hope. It is not like we don’t like him,” Akpabio said.
Normalcy was eventually restored in the upper legislative chamber, allowing the Senate to proceed with a full-scale screening of the Defence Minister nominee.
Persecondnews recalls that Musa was nominated on Tuesday by President Bola Tinubu, following the alleged resignation of the previous nominee, Badaru Mohammed, on health grounds.
During his screening, Musa promised that he would prioritize the protection of lives and Nigeria’s territory.
“I pledge to do my best to ensure that Nigeria is secure and safe,” he told the lawmakers. “We need the support of everyone, every Nigerian, working together as a team, because it’s going to be a team effort.
“The enemies we are dealing with are evil forces that don’t mean well for this country and have no respect for human lives. If we don’t work together, we will allow them to perpetrate the evil acts they have been doing.”
Musa’s appointment as Minister of Defence is coming at a period of heightened national security concern, marked by widespread kidnappings, insurgency, and recent mass abductions—including the ongoing captivity of over 200 schoolchildren by bandits.
The Senate has since confirmed Musa for the position, paving the way for President Tinubu to officially swear in the Kaduna-born Army General.
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