With the appointments of new Service Chiefs, the Nigerian Armed Forces may lose at least 20 generals, who may be forced to retire.
The officers are members of Regiment Courses 34 and 35, who are senior to the new Service Chiefs. Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari had on Tuesday, January 26, appointed new Service Chiefs – Chief of Defence Staff, Major-General Lucky Irabor; Chief of Army Staff, Major-General I. Attahiru; Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral A.Z Gambo, and the Chief of Air Staff, Air-Vice Marshal Isiaka Amao.
Buhari said that the outgoing service chiefs — the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar had turned in their notice of retirement.
Among senior officers,whose retirement is expected is Lt.-Gen. Lamidi Adeosun, the Chief of Training and Operations, Army Headquarters, who wears the same rank with Buratai, the immediate past Army Chief. Adeosun was promoted in 2019 to the rank by Buhari.
Recall also that the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, had in a statement said Buhari had named officers who would head the nation’s armed forces to replace the erstwhile service chiefs.
While congratulating the new Service Chiefs, Buhari urged them to be loyal and dedicated in the discharge of their responsibilities.
Army Chief, Attahiru is a member of Course 35, while Irabor, Chief of Defence Staff, is a member of Course 34.
Defence Headquarters sources said that two options are available to the authorities; first some of the senior officers’ service years might be extended by the new Chief of Army Staff, to reap from their wealth of experience in the ongoing counter-insurgency campaign in the North East; and secondly, some of them might be posted to the Defence Headquarters, where they would not be reporting to the Army Chief.
