President Bola Tinubu on Thursday decorated Nigeria’s newly appointed service chiefs with their official ranks during a ceremony held at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The event, which began shortly after 2 p.m., was attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima and the spouses of the decorated officers, all dressed in their respective service uniforms.
Those decorated were General Olufemi Oluyede as Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant-General Wahidi Shaibu as Chief of Army Staff, Air Marshal Kennedy Aneke as Chief of Air Staff, and Vice Admiral Idi Abbas as Chief of Naval Staff.
The Senate confirmed the four officers on Wednesday after a two-hour closed-door screening session focused on strategies to strengthen national security and improve coordination among the armed forces.
Tinubu had earlier written to the Senate seeking a speedy confirmation to “ensure continuity in the nation’s security leadership.”
Senior government officials, lawmakers, family members of the service chiefs, and top military officers were present at the ceremony. The President, Vice President, and the officers’ spouses took turns pinning the new ranks on the decorated chiefs.
The decoration followed a major military reshuffle announced last week, which the Presidency said was aimed at injecting new direction into Nigeria’s defence system.
According to the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, the restructuring is part of efforts to enhance operational efficiency across the armed forces.
The Chief of Defence Intelligence, Major General E. A. P. Undiendeye, retained his position.
Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, clarified that the changes were not linked to recent coup rumours, saying, “The President acted within his authority as Commander-in-Chief. Service chiefs can be hired and fired by the President.”
Earlier in the week, Tinubu held a private meeting with the new service chiefs at the Presidential Villa. Sources said he directed them to take decisive action against insurgents and bandits, particularly in northern Nigeria.
The Defence Headquarters has dismissed reports of an alleged coup plot as “false and mischievous,” describing related arrests as internal disciplinary matters not linked to any plot against the government.
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