By Ahmed Salkida
*Photo: General Christopher Musa, Minister of Defence*
General, many Nigerians felt a sting of disappointment when you were retired, and many welcomed your return as Minister of Defence, not because insecurity vanished under your watch as CDS, but because you brought discipline and clarity to how the military spoke to the nation. In a country battling insurgency, terrorism, and violent crime, steady, transparent engagement with citizens is as critical as any frontline operation.
Your task now is simple but urgent: fully assert the constitutional authority of your office. Do not inherit the posture of your predecessors. Politics will become part of your reality, but you have a rare chance to redefine it with a human face, one that treats accountability as non-negotiable. If you are denied the space to lead as you should, resignation is a legitimate signal, not a surrender.
Make it clear where every security actor’s mandate begins and ends. Nigeria’s siloed approach to security is exhausted; fragmentation is now a threat in itself. You must drive a truly unified national security architecture—military, police, intelligence, and civil-response agencies operating as one, each carrying its weight.
A multi-agency communications directorate is super important. Citizens deserve a single credible voice that informs, reassures, and never insults their intelligence. Celebrate the wins, own the failures. Transparency steadies a nation drowning in rumour, fear, and disinformation.
Commanders who repeatedly preside over avoidable failures must learn the meaning of resignation. Impunity drains morale and corrodes legitimacy. The military has held this country together through years of turmoil, but it must enforce zero tolerance for abuses—especially in rural communities that carry the heaviest burdens. Respect for civilians is not charity; it is strategy.
And remember: the military cannot secure Nigeria alone, so public trust is your greatest force multiplier. If every soldier embodied the goodwill you have earned, Nigeria might begin to see real progress against the daily killings, kidnappings, and anxieties suffocating millions.
Nigerians must know this–you are no superman. You are also a product of a system that has long struggled to deliver. But systems can change. Tides do turn. And this moment demands exactly that.
~ Ahmad Salkida
Founder/CEO, HumAngle.