President Bola Tinubu on Thursday decorated the newly appointed service chiefs with their ranks during a ceremony held at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The event, which began shortly after 2 p.m., saw the President perform the decoration alongside Vice President Kashim Shettima and the officers’ spouses, 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.
Their decoration followed the Senate’s confirmation on Wednesday, after a two-hour closed-door screening session where the nominees outlined strategies to enhance national security and improve coordination among the armed forces.
Tinubu had earlier urged the Senate to fast-track the confirmation process “to ensure continuity in the nation’s security leadership.”
Thursday’s ceremony was attended by senior government officials, lawmakers, family members of the service chiefs, and top military officers. The President, Vice President, and the officers’ spouses took turns pinning the new insignia on each appointee.
The event came barely a week after the Presidency announced a major reshuffle in the military hierarchy. In a statement signed by Presidential Media Adviser Sunday Dare, the shake-up was described as part of efforts to inject new energy and direction into Nigeria’s defence architecture.
The Chief of Defence Intelligence, Major General E. A. P. Undiendeye, retained his position.
Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, told our correspondent that the changes were “not connected to rumours of a coup plot,” adding:
“The President acted within his authority as Commander-in-Chief. Service chiefs can be hired and fired by the President.”
On Monday, Tinubu held a private meeting with the new service chiefs at the Villa, which lasted about 40 minutes. According to sources, the President charged them to take decisive action against insurgents and bandits, particularly in the North.
Last Friday’s military reshuffle followed an October 19 report alleging that some officers were plotting to overthrow the government, a claim later dismissed by the Defence Headquarters as “false and mischievous.”
Defence spokesperson Brigadier-General Tukur Gusau clarified that the purported arrests linked to a coup were actually “issues of indiscipline” within the ranks, describing the report as an attempt to cause “unnecessary tension and distrust among the populace.”
