By Mary Fatile (Lagos)
Pioneer Special Forces Commander, Major-General Moundhey Gadzama Ali (rtd), has called on serving and retired senior officers to rally behind President Bola Tinubu’s Minister of Defence–designate, General Christopher Musa, saying unified military support is crucial to ending Nigeria’s persistent security challenges.
Major-General Ali made the appeal in Lagos during a media chat.
He said the task before General Musa is enormous and requires practical input, cooperation, and honest counsel from experienced officers—not passive observation or political posturing.
He urged retired generals, infantry officers, and members of the Special Forces community to offer solutions that will strengthen the minister-designate’s capacity to defeat terrorism, insurgency, and banditry.
“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,” he said. “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.”
Describing General Musa as a longtime friend and trusted colleague, Major-General Ali advised him to remain firm, focused, and immune to sycophancy, noting that Nigeria’s security crisis is fueled 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 grappling with insurgency in the North-East, banditry and kidnapping in the North-West, and emerging threats elsewhere, he said General Musa’s success will depend heavily on collective support from the officer corps.
“Towards a better Nigeria indeed,” he added, urging the military community to treat General Musa’s appointment as a national commitment, not an individual responsibility.
Major-General Ali also criticised the culture of political patronage and weak accountability in appointing and screening public officials.
He warned that Nigeria must embrace transparency and merit to earn global respect and improve governance outcomes.
He faulted security agencies for failing to present or act on available intelligence during screenings, saying such lapses damage 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.
Major-General Ali’s remarks come amid high expectations that General Musa, who recently retired as Chief of Defence Staff, will bring his experience in joint operations, counter-terrorism, and defence reform to his new role as Minister of Defence.
Our correspondent reports that his nomination has been widely welcomed across security circles as a sign of continuity in the fight against insecurity.
Edited by Maxwell Oyekunle
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