The Senate has rescheduled the screening of newly appointed service chiefs to Wednesday, October 29, bringing the exercise forward from next week to expedite their assumption of duties.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the change during Tuesday’s plenary after reading a letter from President Bola Tinubu requesting the confirmation of General Olufemi Oluyede as Chief of Defence Staff.
Akpabio explained that the adjustment was made to enable the new military chiefs to resume work without delay.
President Tinubu had earlier urged the Senate to fast-track the confirmation process to ensure seamless coordination within the nation’s security framework.
With the new schedule, the Committee of the Whole will conduct the screening exercise during plenary on Wednesday.
The President recently announced a reshuffle of the military hierarchy, appointing General Oluyede, a former Chief of Army Staff, as the new Chief of Defence Staff, replacing General Christopher Musa. Major-General E.A.P. Undiendeye was retained as Chief of Defence Intelligence.
According to presidential aide Sunday Dare, the changes were part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s national security architecture, with all appointments taking immediate effect.
However, the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) has demanded greater transparency on the rationale behind the shake-up.
“Our position remains, therefore, that the Federal Government owes Nigerians a categorical explanation about what truly happened,” ADC spokesman Bolaji Abdullahi stated.
“As an opposition political party, our interest remains the stability of our country and our democracy. In the light of developments in our neighbourhood of Chad and the Sahel States, we are gravely concerned,” he added.
