Pioneer Special Forces Commander, Major-General Moundhey Gadzama Ali (rtd), has urged serving and retired senior officers to rally behind President Bola Tinubu’s nominee for Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, stressing that unified military support is essential to ending Nigeria’s persistent security challenges.
Speaking in Lagos, Ali described Musa as a trusted colleague whose new assignment demands practical input, cooperation and honest counsel from experienced officers—not silent observation or political manoeuvring.
He called on retired generals, infantry officers and the Special Forces community to actively contribute solutions that will strengthen Musa’s capacity to tackle terrorism, insurgency and banditry.
Ali urged the minister-designate to remain firm, focused and resistant to sycophancy, warning that Nigeria’s security crisis is sustained by powerful interests.
He advised Musa to confront the sponsors and enablers of criminal networks “no matter whose horse is gored.”
The retired commander emphasised that with insurgency in the North-East, banditry and kidnapping in the North-West, and emerging threats across the country, Musa’s success will depend heavily on collective support from the officer corps.
He appealed to the military community to see Musa’s appointment as a national obligation rather than an individual responsibility.
Ali also criticised the culture of political patronage and weak accountability in the appointment and screening of public officials, arguing that failure to act on available intelligence undermines national credibility.
He called for transparency, merit and patriotic duty, saying the era of sentimental decision-making must end if Nigeria seeks global respect and improved governance.
Reporting by Mary FATILE