Standing ovations and a flood of heartfelt tributes were given to the departing Minister of Defense, Maj. Gen. Bashir Salihi Magashi (rtd), CFR. The valedictory dinner, hosted by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defense, Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar Kana, mni, in honor of the minister before the end of his successful term on May 29th next week, was held at the AHQ Command Officers mess in Asokoro, Abuja, according to Mohammad Abdulkadri, Special Assistant to the Minister of Defence on Media and Publicity.
Maj Gen Bashir Salihi Magashi (rtd) CFR, the Minister of Defense, expressed his gratitude to the top, medium, and lower echelons of the Military Sector for their support and recognition of his contribution to the country.
Recalling some of his accomplishments during his time in office, such as the numerous reforms and the major re-equipment of the Nigerian Armed Forces for greater capabilities, he claimed that cooperation across the services had been a force multiplier in weakening the Non State Actors.
He was grateful to President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, the Commander-in-Chief, for the chance to represent the nation as an outstanding member of the Federal Executive Council. The honoree, whose wife Afusat Magashi, children, family, friends, and Mustapha Magashi graced the colorful meal, gave God the praise for a successful tour of duty and reaffirmed his devotion for serving his country even in the hereafter.
He claimed that his unwavering defense of the nation’s territorial integrity has achieved over 80% success in finding solutions to the country’s security issues.
The departing Minister was praised by Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar Kana, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defense, as a brilliant leader and an elderstatesman with a spotless record of service to the country. He claimed that he is leaving the defense industry in better shape than he found it in August 2019.
General Leo Irabor, CFR, and the Service Chiefs appreciated General Magashi’s administrative brilliance and legend, praising him as a model and outstanding infantry general. The Ministry of Defence’s Joint Service Director Olu Mustapha and his legal department counterpart Bola Odugbesan gave the Magashi administration very good marks for training, employee welfare, and building human capability.
The Managing Director, CEO of the Defence Health Maintenance Limited, Rear Admiral Bayo Afolayan(rtd), and the Commandant Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA Maj Gen IM Yusuf, OFR, a mentor of the departing Minister, extolled the virtues of General Magashi as a man of unassuming personality, high integrity, humility, and simplicity as well as a tried and trusted administrator.
Mustapha Magashi, the Minister’s son who openly displayed his passion, couldn’t agree less with the countless compliments paid to their patriarch. He conveyed his family’s gratitude to all the defense industry participants who helped him complete his tour of duty successfully.
Maj Gen Ahmed Tijani Jibrin, the special technical advisor to the departing defense minister, succinctly offered a toast for the long life and good health of Maj General Magashi (rtd) CFR. On August 21, 2019, the departing minister of defense took over as head of the ministry.
