Veteran urges military community’s support for Musa as defence minister

By : Bertram Nwannekanma

Date: 4 December 2025 9:54am WAT

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General Christopher G. Musa

General Christopher G. Musa

THE Pioneer Special Forces Commander, Maj-Gen. Moundhey Gadzama Ali (retd), has called on serving and retired senior officers to rally behind the Minister of Defence, General Christopher G. Musa.

He stated that unified support from the military community is crucial to ending Nigeria’s lingering security challenges.

Ali, who said that the task before Musa is enormous and will demand practical input, cooperation and honest counsel from experienced officers rather than silent observation or political posturing, urged all retired generals, Infantry officers and the Special Force community to actively contribute solutions that would strengthen the new minister’s capacity to defeat terrorism, insurgency and banditry. “Let us all rally behind one of our own, Gen. C.G. Musa, 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,” Ali said.

Ali, while describing Musa as a long-time friend and trusted colleague, advised him to remain firm, focused and immune to sycophancy, noting that Nigeria’s security crisis is fed by powerful interests.

He also urged General Musa to confront sponsors and enablers of criminal networks “no matter whose ox is gored.”

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

The retired 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, however, criticised security agencies for failing to present or act on available intelligence during screenings, saying 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.

Ali’s comments come amid heightened expectations that Musa, who recently retired as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), will bring his experience in joint operations, counter-terrorism and military reform to bear as Defence Minister.

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