Whatever it Takes, I’ll Work to Keep Nigeria Safe-Defence Minister, Gen. Christopher Musa Assures

General Christopher Gwabin Musa, immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, signed a pact with Nigerians on Thursday as he was sworn in by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Moments after the short ceremony, the new Defence Minister declared that he will work his fingers to the bones to keep the country safe.

And that wasn’t just a promise. It was a covenant because apart the few occasions when the Super Eagles soared and brought glory to Motherland, nothing has so excited Nigerians the way the appointment of General Musa as Minister of Defence has.

It was for this outpouring of love by his compatriots that nudged the General to make that pledge.

“I want to use this medium to appreciate all Nigerians. Nigerians have shown me love, and I will guarantee them that I am going to work, whatever it takes, to ensure that Nigeria is secured,” General Musa declared shortly after the brief ceremony at the President’s office.

He assured his countrymen that they would see results very “soon’ in the country’s push to drive blood baying terrorists and their comrades in crime to hell.

But the General Musa canvassed the support of Nigerians in the onerous task making insecurity a thing of the past.

“It is that synergy that we need to build on and work on, and that’s what we are going to do. I can assure you, within the shortest possible time, Nigerians will see results,” the newly-sworn-in minister said.

Indeed, General Musa cannot afford to disappoint his countrymen, a point that was made clear to him by the Senate on Wednesday when they grilled him for five hours before his nomination was confirmed and he was asked to take a bow and go.

Musa’s new appointment came at a time of heightened insecurity when Nigeria has been driven to the edge through terror attacks, mass abductions, banditry, and kidnapping in many parts of the country.

Recall that the US President, Donald Trump, and his administration had recently penciled Nigeria down as a country of “particular concern”, alleging genocide against Christians.

President Trump had also threatened military action in Nigeria over what he described as the mass slaughter of Christians.

The threat prompted the Federal Government to ramp up security measures across the country, including a reshuffle of security chiefs.

During his screening at the Senate on Wednesday, Musa, the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), decried the rising levels of kidnapping for ransom.

The new Minister  believes that with the effective use of technology, security agencies can track the payment of such monies. He told the Senators that ransom payment fuels banditry, ruling out the need for negotiation with criminals.

“The use of technology is very important. Like I said, if are able to have a database – every Nigerian has a number linked to everything you have electronically – we can monitor everything,” Musa, Nigeria’s CDS between June 2023 and October 2025, said.

According to him, the payment of ransom “compromises security” and undermines the fight against criminals.