“A person is a person only because of other people”- African proverb

It is unlikely that any appointment made by President Bola Tinubu has generated the levels of interest and mixed reactions like the recent appointment of General Christopher G. Musa did. A few weeks ago, this officer with the fortune to have nine admirers out of every ten  Nigerians was retired by the same President on familiar grounds of the need to have more capable hands than his. He was one of a few Nigerians in recent history to walk away with thunderous applause after he was retired. The goodwill that followed him out of the rarified air of office of Chief of Defence Staff (the highest military appointment) highlighted the irony that Tinubu thought he was not good enough to lead the military under very trying circumstances.

 Now the same President who thought he was not good enough to lead our defence assets appoints him to assume responsibility for defence policy and coordination of our security and intelligence resources. You could not be wrong if you thought President Tinubu is poorly served by his advisers and his judgement, or he has the type of mind which is easy to make up or change. Either way, General Musa’s performance as Minister will tell Nigerians if he has been played as a political pawn, or he represents the dictum that you cannot block out the rising sun with your palm.

 Without a doubt, General Musa has cultivated the type of personality that makes him likable and popular with many interests that are not ordinarily and positively disposed towards his basic identity, character or profession. His outstanding posture is that he dislikes being typecasted. He tells the world he is more a product of Sokoto, without distancing himself from his Atyap, Southern Kaduna bloodline. He does not fit neatly into any character Nigerians have moulded so crudely. He is a Christian from the North, but speaks and lives as if his faith and language have no place in his relationships with all Nigerians.

His public life is a study in persistent denial of linkages between roots and their products. His State of origin, Kaduna, has bled very badly from numerous ethno-religious conflicts, yet his personal disposition and relationships belie the notion that all citizens of the State bear  massive chips on their shoulders and grudges that last for generations. He must have been good enough to rise to the position of Chief of Defence Staff in a military where quality of character and  competence are not enough to make you stand out. Still, his last post in the military testifies to the hazards of holding positions at the very top.

 This soldier who, by design or good fortune (or both), has now been thrown into the deep end by President Tinubu and would have to swim in uncharted, unforgiving territories. In fairness to Tinubu, it must be said that Musa jumped in  while being pushed as well. Every bit of his persona that had served him well in the past will now be critically scrutinized. If he was good in military politics, it did not appear to have saved him from being sacked, while a former service chief he had superintended was left in place. Now he has to prove his mettle in a vicious world of raw politics, fighting without gloves.

Starting with his immediate past constituency, the military, he has to find a way to convince senior military officers long  accustomed to reading and adapting to political signals that his sacking as Chief of Defence Staff just a few weeks ago is not a stain that should limit his influence over them. He must know of the rumoured frustrations of Ministers and powerful advisers at watching President Tinubu on television meet directly with Service Chiefs. He could be on the receiving end of this demoralizing practice, but there will be many battles to win before he can restore the necessary balances which  will support a healthy relationship between the C-in-C, the Minister(s) of Defence, the National Security Adviser and the top levels of the military, policing and heads of intelligence and security agencies.

 For a long time, the new minister will have to deal with excess weight and attributes which are particularly unwelcome for a minister of defence, especially one with his character and background. He is now a civilian who has joined a government run by a party that is hard-pressed to prove that it deserves the trust of Nigerians. The government he is now a part of has blown its own whistle for the 2027 race, and rampant insecurity is the key issue that will determine success or failure in a free and fair contest.This makes General Musa and the Ministry of Defence the golden boy of this administration.

 There will be no shortcuts to achieving a secure Nigeria, even with his celebrated tough-man approach to dealing with sundry non-state actors. He has to create enough space and marshall enough power and resources to make a real difference in under one year. He will step on big toes in politics, on the political establishments which  support or oppose a hardline approach in dealing with threats, a military which appears neck-deep in corruption and collaboration with armed criminals and a citizenry fast losing faith that the Nigerian state can protect them. He has to settle down in a Ministry of Defence  with legendary records of lack of transparency in procurement and mismanagement of massive resources; find a way to relate with a Minister of State who has lost everyone’s vote of confidence except President Tinubu’s, and redesign productive engagement strategies with powerful people like Ribadu and the Villa circle. He has to create new linkages with a military top brass that will see him in the familiar robes of a civilian who should not get more than a casual salute. He has to restore pride and professionalism in a military being rubbished by killers and countries like the US.

 All these challenges are complicated by the fact that he has been dragged deeper into the murky Nigerian political terrain. He will be sold as a trophy by politicians who think the future for Tinubu lies in ditching the Muslim North in favour of its Christian half. He will be  a trophy for Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani who has doggedly pursued a conciliatory, inclusive Southern Kaduna  strategy which is radically different from his predecessor’s, El-Rufai. Tinubu’s whispered strategy of shoring up his Northern support among non-Hausa/Fulani voters for 2027 will hope that the constituency will notice and believe in his commitment to protect Northern Christians against being killed for their faith. Others will hope the US and Nigerian lobby to punish Nigeria for killing its Christians will chalk this appointment as a plus in favour of Tinubu. Circles of Muslim influence will see this appointment as evidence that Tinubu is whittling down their faith’s influence in his administration, reinforcing the rumoured certainty of a Muslim-Christian ticket in 2027.

 Majority of Nigerians will just hope that this appointment will trigger a major reversal in what appears to be the losing streak by the Nigerian state against people who kill us with little consequences. General Musa has taken on his toughest fight. Individuals have made huge differences in lives of people. Let us hope that General Musa will be one of them.