The Senate at its plenary session of Thursday, 13 July 2023, confirmed the appointment of the following persons as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and Service Chiefs of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria:
- Major General Christopher Musa (Kaduna State) – Chief of Defence Staff
- Major General Taoreed. A. Lagbaja (Osun State) – Chief of Army Staff
- AVM Hassan Abubakar (Kano State)– Chief of Air Staff
- Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla (Enugu State) – Chief of Naval Staff
Following the admittance of the CDS and the Service Chiefs into the chambers, the President of Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio (APC: Akwa Ibom) requested that they give a brief submission on their respective qualifications, experiences, leadership abilities, achievements, service records and personal background after which proceedings were suspended temporarily to commence the screening exercise in a closed-door session.
Although details from the screening exercise remains confidential, the President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio noted that the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and the Service Chiefs responded to salient issues raised by lawmakers which bordered on national security.
