On Friday, President Bola Tinubu reshuffled the nation’s service chiefs. The decision was the first deliberate change by the president to the leaders of his security team since he took office. Only the death of Taoreed Lagbaja, former chief of army staff, had forced a change in the leadership of the Nigerian Army.
In a statement, Sunday Dare, special adviser to the president on public communication, said the rejig is intended to “strengthen the national security architecture”.
Christopher Musa was relieved of his role as the chief of defence staff (CDS), and Olufemi Oluyede, the lieutenant general who served as the chief of army staff (COAS), took his place.
Waidi Shaibu, a major general, filled Oluyede’s previous role. Sunday Aneke, an air vice marshal, took over as air chief, while Idi Abbas, a rear admiral, became the new naval chief.
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Below are brief profiles of the newly deployed service chiefs:
OLUFEMI OLUYEDE, CDS: HIGHER CALLING
Oluyede was born on June 21, 1968, in Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti state, where he had his primary and secondary school education.
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He began his military career in 1987 as a member of the 39 regular course. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1992 and rose to the rank of major general in September 2020.
He has participated in several operations, including the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) mission in Liberia, Operation Harmony IV in Bakassi, and Operation Hadin Kai in the north-east theatre of operations.
He was also the commander of the 27th Task Force Brigade. Oluyede was the COAS until now. He succeeded the late Lagbaja in November 2024. Lagbaja had died after a protracted battle with illness.
Oluyede was promoted to a lieutenant-general by Tinubu shortly after his resumption as COAS in 2024.
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WAIDI SHAIBU, ARMY: THE MECHANICAL ENGINEER
Shaibu was born on December 18, 1971, in Olamaboro LGA of Kogi state. He joined the Nigerian Defence Academy as a member of the 41 regular course in 1989 and was commissioned on September 17, 1994 as a second lieutenant.
He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, a master’s in public administration from the University of Calabar, a master’s in strategic studies from the University of Ibadan, and another master’s in security and strategic studies from the National Defence University, Washington DC, United States.
He succeeds Oluyede as the new COAS. Before his latest appointment, he had served as the theatre commander of Operation Hadin Kai in the north-east. Shaibu oversaw the upgrade of vital military hardware that enabled troops’ kinetic operations.
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He led the refurbishment of ten VP-1 Type 89 APCs, five BMPs, three Steyr APCs, and six Camel MRAPs, among other military equipment.
Under his leadership, troops undertook the deep clearance of the Sambisa forest, infamously the den of insurgents terrorising the Borno area. Troops also reportedly neutralised 567 terrorists and recovered 492 assorted weapons, over 10,714 rounds of ammunition, and numerous high-value items, including general-purpose machine guns, rifles, and various explosives.
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IDI ABBAS, NAVY: THE ANTI-OIL THEFT VETERAN
Abbas was born on September 20, 1969. He hails from Kano state and was commissioned as a midshipman on September 18, 1992, as a member of the 40 regular course. He attained the rank of rear admiral on September 10, 2020.
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He was a former flag officer commanding (FOC) of the central naval command in Bayelsa, where he led anti-crude oil theft operations and maritime patrols around the Niger Delta.
Abbas also served as chief of naval safety and standards in 2023. He recently served at the Nigerian Army Heritage and Future Centre. Abbas steps in as the new chief of naval staff, replacing Emmanuel Ogalla.
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SUNDAY ANEKE, AIR FORCE: THE PHYSICIST
Aneke was born on February 20, 1972, in Makurdi, Benue state. Sylvester, his father and a former air warrant officer, hailed from Udi LGA of Enugu.
Aneke started his military career on September 10, 1988, and was commissioned as a pilot officer into the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on September 10, 1993.
He has a BSc in physics, PGD in management, master’s in international affairs and diplomacy, master’s in political economy and development studies, and a master’s in strategic studies from the US Air War College, Montgomery, Alabama.
Aneke has military training in aeromechanical engineering, as well as ab-initio flying training and basic flying training.
He has used his intensive training to fly aircraft models such as Air Beetle 18, Dornier 228, Falcon 900, Gulfstream V, Gulfstream 550, and Hawker 4000, accumulating over 4,359 flying hours and holding an Advanced Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL).
Aneke was the deputy commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy before his latest appointment. He had previously served with the United Nations Mission in Congo (MONUC).
