Gen. Musa: A Defence Chief’s Journey So Far
By Abdulsalam Mahmud,
Last Friday, the Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, had cause to present the excellent scorecard of his stewardship so far, as Head of the Nigerian military, barely six months after his appointment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The occasion was at his maiden interactive session with defence correspondents in Abuja.
An army general of no mean repute, CG Musa is a winner of the prestigious Collins Powell Meritorious Award for Soldiering. Before his appointment as CDS, the Kaduna State-born general was the Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, where he led officers and troops to record significant combat strides against terrorists of Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West African Province, ISWAP.
Again, Gen. CG Musa, at the Theatre Command, was instrumental to the reopening of federal roads in Borno State, earlier closed due to insecurity. He also ordered the dismantling of roadblocks across the North East, so as to revamp economic activities in the region, as well as to ease the hardship being faced by commuters and transporters on Borno, Yobe and Adamawa highways.
Towards ensuring that the physical and mental wellbeing of troops in the North East are boosted, Gen. Musa adequately catered for the welfare of troops prosecuting the counter-insurgency war in Borno and other parts of the troubled region. He aggressively nurtured a mutually-beneficial civil-military relationship between residents of the North East and troops, which made the former to even take ownership of the anti-insurgency war.
In the last six months, Gen. Musa has not relented in repositioning the military, in line with his leadership philosophy, cardinally aimed at boosting troops’ morale for the war against insurgency and general insecurity.
What the media shouldn’t do
At last Friday’s parley, the Defence Chief’s first salvo was targeted at the Nigerian press. He urged the media to avoid demoralizing troops through their reportage.
“Without the sacrifices of the troops, people will not go about doing their normal business and as such, let’s appreciate the troops for them to do more.
“We all are humans and the troops are aware of their families getting injured, and yet they will be assaulted. Remember that there are people, who stand day and night, protecting the territorial integrity of the country, standing in so that we can sleep with our eyes closed, go about doing our lawful work.
“For without them standing up, it will be extremely difficult; we might not even get the chance to do that. We have seen how troops have been suffering and how civilians are also suffering,” Musa said.
*On Kaduna bombing*
Speaking on the recent accidental bombing of Tudun Biri community in Kaduna State, the CDS restated the mandate of the Nigerian military, which is to protect civilians and not to kill.
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He described the incident as very unfortunate, assuring that those responsible for the bombing would be punished after due investigations.
A minute’s silence was observed for those that died in the incident. “Our mandate is to protect civilians, not to kill or destroy anything.
“And that particular time was in the heat of pursuing some bandits within that general area. And unfortunately, this happened. I’m happy the President and Commander-in-Chief has set up a committee that will look into it critically so that they can also advise on the way forward and how to prevent a future occurrence.
“And then whatever it is, we know the casualties so that they can also be compensated,” he said.
*Take ownership of Nigerian Armed Forces*
General Musa urged citizens to take ownership of the Armed Forces of Nigeria. “We are not aliens from other countries. We have friends, fathers, mothers, uncles, grandfathers here, so the military will not want any harm to befall anybody. When you see something not going right, please report.
“Don’t just keep quiet and pass by. Report, if you want positive changes so that the Armed Forces will take action. I always mention that wherever we operate, we have standing commercials. The commercials are not to scare anybody. The Armed Forces want to always compliment the troops when they do well so as to do more,” he explained.
*Why facts should be verified*
The Defence Chief further emphasized the need to verify information before using it, so as to avoid confusion.
Earlier, the Director, Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, said the role of the media cannot be overemphasized, as the media is the watchdog of the society.
“Defence correspondents are the ones that create news for their editors to work on. The Chief of Defence Staff is meeting with the media as critical stakeholders to share leadership concepts for the Armed Forces of Nigeria,” said Gen. Gusau.
He promised that at the appropriate time, the Chief of Defence Staff will find time to hold a similar interactive session with editors, bureau chiefs, and other stakeholders in the media industry.
He urged the journalists present to take maximum advantage of the meeting to educate the general public on the leadership style of the Chief of Defence Staff, which is people-centric.
“The media has a force multiplier effect in the efforts of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to win the hearts and minds of the populace. Therefore, your role is critical, and you should always strive to ensure public support for the military and also boost the morale of the troops,” he advised.
*Last line*
Indeed, Gen. CG Musa has demonstrated quintessential leadership in piloting the affairs of the military since his emergence as Nigeria’s Defence Chief. That is why he must not rest on his oars until his lofty visions for the Nigerian Armed Forces are actualized.
*Mahmud is the Deputy Editor of PRNigeria, and wrote in via: [email protected].*
