President Bola Tinubu has charged Nigeria’s newly appointed service chiefs to deliver tangible results in tackling insecurity, warning that the government will no longer tolerate excuses as the nation seeks lasting peace.
Speaking at their decoration ceremony at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday, Tinubu said the country was “in a hurry to celebrate peace” and urged the military to crush emerging armed groups threatening stability across the North-Central, North-West, and parts of the South.
“We must not allow these new threats to fester. We must be decisive and proactive,” the president said. “Let us smash the new snakes right in the head.”
Tinubu commended the armed forces for reclaiming territories once held by terrorists and rescuing kidnapped citizens but cautioned that security challenges continue to evolve.
“Security threats are constantly evolving and mutating,” he said. “Our people must remain safe to enjoy the benefits of governance. Without security, all other achievements are meaningless.”
The president reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to supporting the military and called for stronger collaboration among the security services, as well as the use of modern technology to outsmart criminal groups.
The newly appointed service chiefs are General Olufemi Oluyede as Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Wahidi Shaibu as Chief of Army Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas as Chief of Naval Staff, and Air Marshal Sunday Aneke as Chief of Air Staff. Major General Emmanuel Undiendeye retains his position as Chief of Defence Intelligence.
The officers were decorated with their new ranks in the presence of Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, and other senior government officials.