Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has approved the immediate retirement of all Service Chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police, Advisers, and Comptroller-General of Customs from Service as well as their replacements. The replaced Chiefs include the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen General Farouk Yahaya, Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Isiaka Oladayo Amao, and Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo.
This was contained in a statement by the Director, Information, Office of the Secretary-General to the Federation, Willie Bassey, on Monday, June 19, 2023.
He has appointed Maj. Gen. C.G Musa as the Chief of Defence Staff, Maj. Gen. T. A Lagbaja as Chief of Army Staff, Rear Admirral E. A Ogalla, Chief of Naval Staff and Air Vice Marshall H.B Abubakar as Chief of Air Staff.
Als part of of his core security team, he has chosen Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as National Security Adviser. The Police DIG Kayode Egbetokun is designated as the Acting Inspector-General of Police while Maj. Gen. EPA Undiandeye is chosen as the Chief of Defence Intelligence. Col. Adebisi Onasanya is the Brigade of Guards Commander; Lt. Col. Moshood Abiodun Yusuf, 7 Guards Battalion, Asokoro, Abuja; Lt. Col. Auwalu Baba Inuwa 177, Guards Battalion, Keffi, Nasarawa State; Lt. Col. Mohammed J. Abdulkarim, 102 Guards Battalion, Suleja, Niger and Lt. Col. Olumide A. Akingbesote, 176 Guards Battalion, Gwagwalada, Abuja.
The statement stated that the appointed Service Chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police and the Comptroller General of Customs are to act in their positions, pending their confirmation as required by Nigeria’s Constitution. Adeniyi Bashir Adewale is the Acting Comptroller General of Customs.
President Tinubu has approved the appointments of other military officers for the Presidential Villa: Maj. Isa Farouk Audu, (N/14695) Commanding Officer State House Artillery; Capt. Kazeem Olalekan Sunmonu, (N/16183) Second-in-Command, State House Artillery; Maj. Kamaru Koyejo Hamzat, (N/14656) Commanding Officer, State House Military Intelligence, Maj. TS Adeola (N/12860), Commanding Officer, State House Armament and Lt. A. Aminu (N/18578) Second-in- Command, State House Armament.
He appointed two additional Special Advisers and two Senior Assistants: Hadiza Bala Usman as Special Adviser, Policy Coordination; Hannatu Musa Musawa, Special Adviser, Culture and Entertainment Economy; Sen. Abdullahi Abubakar Gumel, Senior Special Assistant , National Assembly Matters (Senate) and Hon. Olarewaju Kunle Ibrahim, Senior Special Assistant, National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives).
Also, President Bola Tinubu approved the immediate dissolution of the governing boards of all federal government parastatals, agencies, institutions, and government-owned companies.
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I saw this coming as soon as it came. The urgency indicates an intention to unleash palpable tyrannical punitive measures against his political enemies and Ndigbo. The backdrop of this immediate measures is to consolidate absolute power – with the support of his core Yoruba tribes in charge. Once again the Core Easterners are left in the rain. I foresee a very rough ride for Ndigbo in Tinubu’s unusual government. The control of the service chiefs is the bed rock of any African tyrant leader’s power trust, will the Fulani Cabal survive this Chess board dis arrangement , only time will tell how this power game will end.