CG MUSA, A GENERAL CLOTHED WITH INFANTRY REGALIA

Major General Christopher Gwabin Musa OFR

18th Chief of Defence Staff of the Armed Forces of Nigeria

"... I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds. For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I am infantry!" - Infantry creed.

General CG Musa was appointed the 18th Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu which is a calculated attempt not only to bring experience in the defence architecture and mechanism of our country, but also march experience with the strong will in which insecurities that have almost reduced and rubbish our security agencies may be crushed.

   General Christopher Gwabin Musa was born on 25th December, 1967. Though he hails from Zangon Kataf LGA of Kaduna State, he was born in Sokoto State, a conservative Muslim State in Northwest Nigeria; where he had his primary school and Vocational Training, before proceeding to Federal Government College (all in Sokoto State) between 1974 to 1985.

   He moved to Zaria in 1985 where he studied at the College of Advance Studies and in 1986, he proceeded to the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna where he graduated with BSc Hons (Chn). Being the time the Nigerian military held political power in the country, he underwent rigorous military training and was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a second lieutenant in the Infantry Corps.

  As an Infantry officer, he was indoctrinated to live the life of a warrior and selfless act of valor as General George Orwell succinctly would say "people sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf". For the freedom and liberty we enjoy is much because of the bravery of men (like Gen Musa) and women of the military who dedicate their lives so as to protect our nation.

  As a vibrant infantry officer, he succeeded and made headways in his assigned duties. As a Platoon Commander of 192 Bn in 1999, he gradually rose to become the Chief of Staff, HQ 2 Division between 2014 to 2015 before he became the Commandant Depot Nigerian Army, Zaria from 2015 to 2017.

  While in Zaria, he demonstrated the qualities of a great leader with vision that can calm the storm. He combined management and leadership; in management, he persuaded people to do things they do not want to do, while as a true leader, he inspired people including civilians within his immediate host Communities to do things they never thought they could. He believed that poor leadership is building a great team and doing everything in one's power to hold onto control and this makes no sense in recruiting the best people but tie their hands by not giving them the freedom to perform. Rather, be imbibed Kenneth  Blanchard concept of "the key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority ".

Major General Christopher Musa, OFR and General Lucky Irabor CFR

General CG Musa taking over the command of the Armed Forces of Nigeria from  General Lucky Irabor on the 23rd June 2023 at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja

He believed in a team as he saw a team to be more than a collection of people to be recruited and be trained into the Nigerian Army; he believed it was a process of give and take. As a peacemaker also, he believed that if you can't experience the humanity of the people who are weak, naive or those who may not even like you, you're not civilize enough to be an officer of the peace. He simply demonstrated that "it is a proud privilege to be a soldier -a  good soldier... with discipline, self-respect, pride in his unit and his country, a high sense of duty and obligation to comrades and to his superiors, and self-confidence born of demonstrated ability "- General George S. Patton Jr.

   Indeed, General CG Musa all through the positions he held in the Nigerian Army till he became the Commandant Nigerian Army Infantry Corps, Jaji in January 2023 believes " a man has integrity if his interest in the good of  the services is at all times greater than his personal pride, and when he holds himself to the same line of duty when unobserved as he would follow if his superiors were present" - General SLA Marshall.

   Therefore, it's not surprising that General CG Musa was appointed the Chief of Defence Staff at this period Nigerians, men who are truly men who has integrity and are selfless in the true word of it. Like  Mary Roach said " heroism doesn't always happen in a burst of glory, sometimes small triumphs and large hearts change the course of history".

   THE TASK BEFORE THE NEW CDS

   According to General George S Patton Jr., "The soldier is the Army. No army is better than its soldiers. The soldier is also a citizen. Infact, the highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms for one's country ". This is what must be inculcated into the thinking faculties of our gallant soldiers not only to boost their morale, but to also make them know that "a safe army is better than a safe border "- B. R. Ambedkar.

The sanctity of the welfare of these men and women must be religiously and godly enhanced and protected for "we must never forget why we have, and why we need our military. Our armed forces exist solely to ensure our nation is safe, so that each and every one of us can sleep soundly at night, knowing we have guardians at the gate".- Allen West. The morale of our military must be raised to the level that the officers and men of the armed forces will believe that true patriotism isn't cheap. It's about taking on a fair share of the burden of keeping Nigeria going and safe.

   As the CDS, Nigerians expects you to that leadership is not about being the best; leadership is about making everyone else better. In this light, through your leadership, we pray we shall have brave and infallible soldiers without which Nigeria would be like God without His angels.

  Though the task maybe daunting, herculean, difficult and rocky, "never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense"- Winston Churchill. God has already gone ahead, so, "never give in".

St. Heart Chidozie Ogu writes from Zaria, Kaduna State.