Tinubu to Service Chiefs: Smash the New Snakes Right in the Head

…Says Nigerians Expect Results, Not Excuses
…Declares New Era of Proactive Military Strategy

By John Paul

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday delivered a blistering charge to Nigeria’s newly confirmed service chiefs, ordering them to “smash the new snakes right in the head” as he declared a new, proactive era in the nation’s military strategy. Speaking at the State House, Abuja, during the decoration of the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, and Chief of Air Staff, the President made clear that rhetoric has run its course, and that Nigerians now demand measurable results.

“You have been carefully selected for this critical task — a task that demands patriotism, innovation, and courage,” Tinubu told the service chiefs. “We cannot allow the crisis that began in 2009 to persist any longer. Nigerians expect results, not excuses.”
Tinubu’s message was plain and uncompromising: the security challenges that have simmered and spread for more than a decade must be confronted decisively and immediately.

The President paid tribute to the sacrifices of the armed forces, recalling how soldiers reclaimed territory once held by terrorists and rescued kidnapped citizens. But he warned that victory in the past does not guarantee security tomorrow. “Security threats are constantly evolving, constantly mutating,” he said, pointing to the emergence of new armed groups in the North-Central, North-West, and parts of the South. “We must be decisive and proactive. Let us smash the new snakes right in the head.”

The President urged the new military leadership to harness technology, superior intelligence, and inter-agency collaboration. He demanded innovation and pre-emptive action, saying commanders must stay ahead of violent actors through better information management and tactical creativity. “Deploy technology where necessary,” he said. “Be innovative, pre-emptive, and courageous.”

Tinubu pledged full backing from his administration: logistics, policy support, and the resources necessary to pursue sustained operations. “I promise to provide all the support you need to get the job done,” he said, making clear that support would come with accountability. The era of half-measures, he warned, is over; the nation expects concrete improvements in security, not platitudes.

Insiders noted that against the backdrop of rumours of a coup plot and roiling insecurity nationwide, the ceremony, which followed Senate confirmation of the new chiefs, was more than a ceremonial ritual. “It framed a resetting of Nigeria’s security posture under leaders chosen to translate strategy into results,” said one source, even as the President described the decorations as the start of a renewed campaign to ensure peace for all Nigerians: a campaign that pivots from reactive responses to proactive, intelligence-led operations.

Other observers at the State House said Tinubu’s tone combined urgency with impatience: frustration at the persistence of violence, and a readiness to compel the military to close long-standing gaps. For communities battered by decades of insurgency and banditry, the President’s words will be judged by the speed and effectiveness of actions on the ground.

As he closed, Tinubu invoked both duty and faith, calling on the service chiefs to serve with zeal and integrity and invoking divine protection for the armed forces. “May God continue to keep our armed forces safe,” he said as he signed off his charge to the new top military brass.