The Senate on Wednesday subjected former Chief of Defence Staff and ministerial nominee, General Christopher Musa (retd.), to hours of grilling.

The president of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio also insisted that the chamber should conduct proper screening adding that “Trump is on our neck.”

Intervening after a heated argument on whether the nominee should be allowed to now out and go, Akpabio warned the senate that both Nigerians and the international community were watching the process closely.

“This is not a period we should say bow and go. Even Donald Trump is on our neck,” he said.

The drama at the senate began when Senator Sani Musa (APC, Niger East) proposed that the former CDS be allowed to take a bow without questioning a suggestion which several other lawmakers opposed.

However, when Senator Garba Maidoki (PDP, Kebbi South) marched towards the Senate President’s seat to insist that Musa be interrogated on national security issues, Akpabio agreed.

According to the president, Nigerians deserved to hear directly from the nominee at a time of escalating insecurity.

“Our constituents would like to hear from him. We are asking him questions because our constituents would like to ask him questions too,” Akpabio said.

“With over 200 children in the bush being tortured, give the man an opportunity to give Nigerians hope. It is not like we don’t like him,” he added

Order was eventually restored, and the Senate proceeded with a full-scale screening.

President Bola Tinubu nominated Musa on Tuesday following the resignation of Defence Minister Badaru Mohammed, allegedly on health grounds.

“I pledge to do my best to ensure that Nigeria is secure and safe,” he told the lawmakers on Wednesday.

“We need the support of everyone, every Nigerian, working together as a team, because it’s going to be a team effort.

“The enemies we are dealing with are evil forces that don’t mean well for this country and have no respect for human lives… If we don’t work together, we will allow them to perpetrate the evil acts they have been doing.”