The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Major General Waheedi Shaibu as Nigeria’s new Chief of Army Staff, directing him to “take a bow” and assume office immediately.
Shaibu’s confirmation came less than an hour after the upper chamber approved General Olufemi Oluyede as Chief of Defence Staff, marking the start of the screening process for President Bola Tinubu’s newly appointed service chiefs.
The confirmation session, held at the National Assembly complex in Abuja, was conducted under tight security as senators convened both open and closed-door sittings to vet the nominees.
Presiding over the session, Senate President Godswill Akpabio described the exercise as a constitutional duty aimed at ensuring that only the most competent and patriotic officers are entrusted with the nation’s security architecture.
“There is no need to ask them too many questions because we will be having a closed-door session with them,” Akpabio said.In a show of confidence, Senator Isah Jubrin (Kogi East) attested to Shaibu’s character and professionalism, 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 believe he has what it takes to move Nigeria out of the challenges the country is experiencing today,” the senator added.
The screening and swift confirmation of both Shaibu and Oluyede signal the Senate’s readiness to expedite the approval process for all newly appointed service chiefs under President Tinubu’s administration—part of ongoing efforts to reinvigorate Nigeria’s security leadership.
