Sanwo-Olu Receives CDS Christopher Musa, Details Emerges

• The governor passed a vote of confidence on the service chiefs
• He noted that the state government had maintained good working relationship with the military formation in Lagos.

Christopher Musa, chief of defence staff (CDS) on Monday met with Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, at the state house in Marina.

The governor said the nation has witnessed a sharp decline in criminal attacks in areas burdened by instability.

Sanwo-Olu said the economic recovery efforts of President Bola Tinubu rested on the premise of law and order, noting that the seed of the President’s economic vision would germinate quicker if the military tightened its grip over the those attempting to undermine the nation’s security.

Gboyega Akosile, chief press secretary to the governor, in a statement on his official X page on Monday, said the governor urged the military to brace up and reinforce its strength to restore stability in areas still burdened by banditry, noting that there were still pockets of violence being recorded in the north-east.

“The vision of the President to advance economic development and prosperity can only be achieved in an atmosphere of stability and peace. We have observed how you have provided level-headed leadership to the Defence personnel, while working collaboratively with your fellow service chiefs. This is specially commendable, as the nation is now seeing the results of the collaboration among our defence forces,” the statement said.

“In the last 12 months, we have seen a consistent decline in what we used to see as regular criminal attacks in some parts of the country. In the Southeast, we have seen the military successes, as violence has gone down significantly.

“We have witnessed similar successes in the north central but we still have pockets of violence in the Northeast, which I believe is within control. The military needs to tighten up and keep focus on restoring order to quickly accelerate progress in line with the President’s vision.

The governor passed a vote of confidence on the service chiefs, noting that the state government had maintained good working relationship with the military formation in Lagos.

Sanwo-Olu emphasised the importance of defence headquarters to help officers maintain good mental health during service and retirement, urging the chief to establish a strong welfare system.

“Governance is a tool for development that is centred on people’s interest. This vision should sit firmly with your agenda for the military. I’ll implore you to pursue your vision for the Defence and build a legacy that would create armed forces which would be people-centric.

“While pursing the welfare of your officers, you must also build confidence among the citizens by addressing the basic issues that our people want. These include security of lives and property, which is the paramount reason why the government is in place.

Musa praised the armed forces for the financial and hardware support provided by the governor to enable military formations to fulfill their statutory duties in Lagos.

The service chief was accompanied by top defence officers, including the general officer commanding (GOC) 81 division of the army, Mohammed Usman, flag officer commanding of western naval command, rear admiral Mustapha Hassan, and air officer commanding logistics command, AVM A.Y. Abdullahi, among others.

Images from the visit are attached below;