General Magashi: Still
General Magashi: Still on New Defence
Minister
The long-awaited list of the ministerial nominees for the 2nd
term of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari was
released with excitement and at the same time uncertainty in some
quarters.
When the full list was eventually released, the public could
only speculate and match certain names to certain ministries
because the presidency kept a tight lid on the portfolios of the
nominees.
Meanwhile it was certain that retired Major General Bashir
Salihi Magashi (Rtd) from Kano State would either be assigned to
Defence or Interior Ministry.
The reason for the strong speculation was the fact that he
performed exceedingly well going by his military background as a
former military administrator of Sokoto during the regime of
Ibrahim Babangida and member of the Provisional Ruling Council
during administration of General Sani Abacha. He also held other
top military position including General Commanding Officer in
Ibadan, Commander Guard Brigade Abuja and Commander of ECOMOG
Troops in Liberia.
Immediately after his swearing-in as the Defence Minister, by
President Buhari in the Villa, General Magashi inspected the
Brigade of Guard formation at the Ministry of Defence where he
charged the staff of the ministry to brace up and be steadfast on
their jobs.
In his initial interactions with respective officers, he
expressed his worry over the activities of terrorists in the
North-West, Banditry in the North-West and nagging other security
challenges in other parts of the country. He insisted lasting
solutions must be proffered and implemented.
In an effort to improve the morale of troops fighting
terrorists, General Magashi flew to Borno State to meet with the
commanders and the soldiers. He restated the federal government’s
commitment in improving their welfare and providing adequate
weaponry to win the war on terror.
In one of his remarks he said: “I want to pass this message
through the commander to the field that the Commander in Chief is
willing to take your welfare and motivation more seriously than
ever before.
“President Muhammadu Buhari is willing to improve your feeding,
your kits, your operational requirements- be it weapons or
otherwise in order to give you the motivation that whatever you do
the government is not unaware to reward you.
“In this regard, all those who lost their lives during this
operation, we see it as sacrifice and government will do something
in respect of these officers and soldiers who died in the course of
this war.
“We will also, make sure that entitlements of officers and
soldiers are promptly paid and those retired, their pension and
gratuity are well taken care of.”
The encouraging words certainly boosted the morale of the troops
on the frontlines. General Magashi who is also a lawyer is always
punctual in the office and attend to sensitive meetings on national
security.
So far, there is a promising start from the activities of the
new Defence Minister which we hope his tenure will witness the
victory of our military and other security services over terrorism,
banditry, communal clashes, kidnapping, and other atrocities being
committed by the underworld.
Mohammad G. Rabo
Writing from Lugbe, Abuja.