Musa’s Success Hinges on Military Backing – Retired Officer

By Love Oyedokun

Abuja, Nigeria – Major-General Moundhey Gadzama Ali (rtd), a former Special Forces commander, has urged serving and retired military officers to support President Bola Tinubu’s nominee for Defence Minister, General Christopher Musa.

Cablenews24 reports that Ali emphasized that Nigeria’s security challenges require unified backing from the military community. He called on retired generals and Special Forces veterans to provide practical solutions to help Musa tackle terrorism, banditry, and insurgency.

“Let us rally behind General Musa and assist him in ending insecurity,” Ali said. “This is a national duty, not just his task alone.”

Musa, a former Chief of Defence Staff, is expected to bring his counter-terrorism expertise to the role. His nomination has been widely praised as a step toward stronger security leadership.

“Let us all rally behind one of our own, General CG Musa, who has just been nominated by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to serve as Minister of Defence. As he leads, in the spirit of ‘follow me’, let us openly provide answers to critical requirements to assist him in seeing to the end of banditry, terrorism and insurgency in our dear nation. Together, we can make the herculean task easy,” the respected retired Maj.-Gen Ali said.

Describing Musa as a long-time friend and trusted colleague, Ali advised him to remain firm, focused and immune to sycophancy, noting that Nigeria’s security crisis is fed by powerful interests. He urged the minister-designate to confront sponsors and enablers of criminal networks “no matter whose horse is gored.”

With Nigeria still tackling insurgency in the North-East, banditry and kidnapping in the North-West, and emerging threats elsewhere, Ali said Musa’s success will depend heavily on collective support from the officer corps.

“Towards a better Nigeria indeed,” he said, urging the military community to treat Musa’s appointment as a national commitment rather than an individual responsibility.

The senior officer also took a swipe at the culture of political patronage and weak accountability in the appointment and screening of public officials, warning that Nigeria must embrace transparency and merit if it expects global respect and improved governance outcomes. He criticised security agencies for failing to present or act on available intelligence during screenings, arguing that such lapses undermine national credibility.

“The world has gone beyond the sentiments of ‘my townsman. This is the time of transparency, honesty, commitment and discharging one’s duties without prejudice before loyalty,” he said.

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