President Bola Tinubu on Thursday decorated the newly appointed service chiefs with their ranks at a brief ceremony held inside the Council Chamber of the Aso Villa, Abuja.
The event, which commenced shortly after 2 pm, was attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima, senior government officials, lawmakers, top military officers, and family members of the appointees.
Those decorated included General Olufemi Oluyede as the 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.
Tinubu performed the decoration alongside Shettima and the spouses of the service chiefs, who joined in pinning the new insignia on their partners, all dressed in full ceremonial uniforms.
The Senate had on Wednesday confirmed the four nominees after a closed-door screening session that lasted over two hours.
During the session, the officers were quizzed on strategies to tackle insecurity and improve coordination among the armed forces.
In his earlier request to the National Assembly, Tinubu had urged the Senate to expedite the confirmation process “to ensure continuity in the nation’s security leadership.”
Thursday’s decoration comes barely a week after the Presidency announced a major shake-up in the military hierarchy, a move described by the president’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, as part of efforts to inject “new direction” into the nation’s defence structure.
The Chief of Defence Intelligence, Major General E.A.P. Undiendeye, retained his position in the new arrangement.
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Addressing concerns over speculation linking the shake-up to an alleged coup plot, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the President acted within his constitutional powers as Commander-in-Chief.
“Service chiefs serve at the pleasure of the President. Their appointment and removal are within his prerogative,” Onanuga said.
On Monday, Tinubu had met privately with the newly appointed service chiefs at the Aso Villa, where he reportedly charged them to take decisive action against insurgency and banditry, particularly in northern Nigeria.
The recent reshuffle followed a report published on October 19 alleging that some military officers were plotting to overthrow the government, a claim later dismissed by the Defence Headquarters as “false and mischievous.”
Brigadier-General Tukur Gusau, Director of Defence Information, said the reported arrests linked to the alleged plot were merely “issues of indiscipline” within the ranks, warning against attempts to spread misinformation capable of creating panic.
