The Coalition of Civil Society Groups for Transparency and Good Governance (CCSGfT&GG) has set the agenda for newly appointed Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd), advising him on what should be his priority area of focus.

The advice is contained in a statement in which the rights group commended the appointment of Gen. Musa, the immediate past Chief of Defense Staff, by President Ahmed Bola Tinubu.

The statement, issued this Thursday morning, December 4, 2025, and signed by CCSGfT&GG Secretary, Amb. Ahmad Bn N Muhammad, followed yesterday’s approval of Gen. Musa’s nomination by the Senate.

Entitled, “Priority Area of Focus for the New Defense Minister”, the statement reads in full:

“The Coalition of Civil Society Group for Transparency and Good Governance join well-meaning individuals and groups in Nigeria to commend the appointment of former Chief of Defense Staff General Musa Christopher to the position of Minister of Defense by the President HE Ahmed Bola Tinubu GCFR Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

“This nomination is about the right peg on the right hole which would be driving home the renewed hope security emergency directive declared by His Excellency The President and Commander in Chief himself.

“General Christopher as we may well recall is a tested combatant and advocate of no compromise always insisting on taking the fight to the terrorist enclave without mercy.

“While the return of General Musa Christopher is generally considered as a positive turning point from our current security woes in Nigeria, we believe paramount on the path to much anticipated victory over dissidents is the issue of equipment updates and comprehensive welfare packages towards motivations to boost morale of our fighting forces.

“The new Minister must equally prioritize seeking attention of Mr President for Presidential Prerogative to address issues about stagnated promotion especially for those who had the misfortune of previously missed out.

“At a time that the President had declared security emergency in the country, the army cannot afford to let go of generation of officers with Liberia, Sierra Leone and Somalia veterans experiences where vacuum to absorb them exists.

“By the time the new Minister of Defense fully settled down in office, it would be delightful to also look into Federal Character balance of the recent promotion where concerns about regional imbalances are being raised for urgent review.

“As a matter of fact, retirement of officers with impeccable records of battle achievements should be put on hold throughout the period of this security emergency recently declared by the Commander in Chief to avoid unnecessary wastage of battle tested experiences.

“Another critical area to prioritize attention is the terrorism financing. Tracking and blocking of the sources of funding for the terrorist group. This would deal a heavy blow on their striking capability.

“Our third-party opinion is to offer objective views on policies issues as a way to guide officials handling policy matters on the best way out of multiple challenges confronting our dear country.

“While urging the Senate to give a speedy hearing on the screening of the new Minister, please accept from the Board of Trustees and Management wishes of strength and the courage confront challenges of the new office.”

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