President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the immediate retirement of all service chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police and the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service.
The President also elevated Malam Nuhu Ribadu, who was recently named as special adviser on security, as the National Security Adviser.
A statement issued Monday by the Director of Information in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Willie Bassey, also said the appointed Service Chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police and the Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service are all to act in their positions, pending their confirmation in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Those appointed are Maj. Gen. C. G. Musa, Chief of Defence Staff; Maj. Gen. T. A Lagbaja, Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admiral E. A Ogalla, Chief of Naval Staff; AVM H. B Abubakar, Chief of Air Staff; DIG Kayode Egbetokun; Acting Inspector-General of Police; and Maj. Gen. EPA Undiandeye; Chief of Defense Intelligence.
The president also approved the appointment of Col. Adebisi Onasanya as the Commander of Brigade of Guards, Lt. Col. Moshood Abiodun Yusuf as Commander of 7 Guards Battalion, Asokoro, Abuja; Lt. Col. Auwalu Baba Inuwa as Commander of 177 Guards Battalion, Keffi, Nasarawa state; Lt. Col. Mohammed J. Abdulkarim as Commander of 102 Guards Battalion, Suleja, Niger state; and Lt. Col. Olumide A. Akingbesote as Commander of 176 Guards Battalion, Gwagwalada, Abuja.
President Tinubu also approved the appointments of other military officers in the Presidential Villa.
They are 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.
Similarly, the president approved the appointment of Adeniyi Bashir Adewale as the acting Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service.
…CDS
Until his appointment as the CDS, Major General Musa was the Commandant Nigerian Army Infantry Corps Jaji, Kaduna state.
Musa’s assumption as the Infantry Corps Commander followed his redeployment as theatre commander North-East Joint Task Force Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK).
A member of the 38 regular course of the Nigerian Defence Army, General Musa, who hails from Zangon Kataf local government area of Southern Kaduna, Kaduna state, was born in December 25, 1967, in Sokoto state where he had his primary and secondary education.
In 1986, he was admitted into the NDA September 1991 and was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a second lieutenant in the Infantry Corps.
…COAS
General Lagbaja is a member of the 39 Regular Course of the NDA and was commissioned to the rank of a second lieutenant of 19, September, 1992.
He was born in Ilobu, Irepodun local government area of Osun state on 28 February 1968 and attended Local Authority Teachers College Demonstration School Osogbo between 1973 and 1979, St Charles Grammar School, Osogbo from 1979 to 1984, the Polytechnic, Ibadan from 1984 to 1986 and obtained West African School Certificate (Advanced Level).
He was admitted into the NDA on 12 September 1987 as a member of 39th Regular Course and Commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant on 19 September 1992 into the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps.
Until his appointment as the Chief of Army Staff, Lagbaja was the Chief of Training (Army).
Before his redeployment to the Army headquarters, he was at different times the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division Nigerian Army Kaduna and GOC 82 Division Nigerian Army Enugu.
During his tour of duty as 1 Division GOC, Gen. Lagbaja was instrumental to the successes troops recorded against armed bandits, terrorists and cattle rustlers in Kaduna, Niger, Kebbi, and other North-West states.
The courses he attended include Company Amphibious Operations Course – Amphibious Training School (May – June 1993), Young Officers’ Course (Infantry) – Nigerian Army School of Infantry Jaji (September – December 1993), Basic Airborne Course – Nigerian Army School of Infantry Jaji (March – April 1995) – Not Graded, Advanced Airborne Course – Nigerian Army School of Infantry Jaji (November – December 1995).
Amphibious Staff Operations Course – Amphibious Training School (September – December 1997), Company Commanders’ Course – Nigerian Army School of Infantry Jaji (February – May 2003), Battalion Commanders’ Course – Nigerian Army School of Infantry Jaji (September – December 2009), Junior Staff Course – Armed Forces Command and Staff (May – December 2000), Senior Staff Course – Armed Forces Command and Staff (August 2005 – July 2006)
Others are Military Observers Course – Peacekeeping Wing Nigerian Army School of Infantry Jaji (February – May 2008), ECOWAS Standby Force Battalion Command Post Course – Peacekeeping Centre, Bamako, Mali – (June – August 2010), Strategy and Leadership Course – US Army War College (April 2003 – June 2014), Command/Staff/Instructional Appointments, 93 Battalion – 1992 – 1995 as a Platoon commander, 72 Special Forces Battalion – 1995 – 2001 as a Platoon commander and Nigerian Defence Academy – 2001 – 2004 as an Instructor among others.
…CNS
The Chief of the Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, was born on 20 December 1968 in Enugu Ezike, Igbo Eze north local government area of local government area of Enugu state.
He obtained the WASC from the NMS Zaria in June 87 where he graduated as the best boy in Sciences. He had A1 in all subjects except English language.
He is a member of the 39 Regular Course NDA and graduated with a BSc in Mathematics and was awarded the sword of honour as the best naval cadet in his course.
He was commissioned Second Lieutenant on 16 September 92 and rose to the rank of Rear Admiral on 16 September 2021. He completed the STC NNS QUORRA, Basic Hydrography National Hydrographic School India in May 2000, Junior and Senior Staff Courses AFCSC Jaji in November 01 and July 06 respectively. He was a participant of NDC Course 22 and was awarded fdc in August 14. As part of the Course, he took part in the MSc Strategic Studies programme, University of Ibadan from 2014 to 2015.
The senior officer served on board many ships including NNS AMBE, ARADU, LANA, EKUN, AGU, QUORRA, BEECROFT, DELTA and PATHFINDER. While on board NNS EKUN, he took part in the ECOMOG Operations in Liberia in 1996.
Also as the Base operations officer in NNS PATHFINDER, he was responsible for coordinating anti-illegal bunkering operations as well the entire policing duties of the base. During the period, there was a remarkable reduction in illegal activities in the maritime area within the base area of operations.
He also served as Instructor, CI and Comdt NNHS, SO 1 Survey and DD Instruments NNHO, ADCP, DD Hydro and DPR NHQ, as well as DS/ DARAS NDC and D Audit NASS NHQ. He is currently the DLL NHQ.
During his cumulative 6-year tour of duty in NNHS, he taught geodesy, datum conversion, tidal predictions and analysis, satellite surveying, bathymetry, among others.
Ogalla is decorated with FSS, MSS, DSS and GSS. He is a member of the Nigerian Hydrographic Society, Nigerian Institute of Management, the International Earth Rotation Services and also a fellow of the Occupational Safety and Health Association of the UK. He is married to Mrs Ijeoma Ogalla and the marriage is blessed with 2 children. His hobbies include jogging, reading, listening and researching about science and nature.
…CAS
Air Vice Marshal Abubakar was born on 11 September 1970. Before his appointment as the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), he was the Air Officer Commanding, Logistics Command.
He hails from Shanono local government area of Kano state and got enlisted into the NAF as a member of NDA Regular Course 39 commissioned Pilot Officer on 19 September 92.
He has attended several courses some of which include: Bachelor of Science Degree from the Nigerian Defence Academy Kaduna. Ab initio and Basic Flying Training Courses at the 301 Flying Training School Kaduna, Basic and Advance Airborne Courses at Nigerian Army Infantry Center and School Jaji, Company Amphibious Operations Course at Nigerian Army Infantry Center and School in Calabar, Junior and Senior Command and Staff Courses at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College Jaji and, National Defence Course at the Nasser Higher Military Academy, Cairo – Egypt. Master’s Degree in International Affairs and Diplomacy from ABU Zaria.
The very senior officer has held several appointments, some of which are: Admin Officer 16 Engineering Wing, 1 Engineering Group NAF Makurdi, Officer Commanding Admin Services Flight/ Group Public Relations Officer, 97 Special Operations Group NAF Port Harcourt.
Officer Commanding Yellow Squadron – Air Force Military School Jos, Admin Officer Primary Flying Training Wing – 301 FTS NAF Kaduna, SO1 Admin 301 FTS NAF Kaduna, Officer Commanding ‘B’ Squadron (Do 228) – 81 Air Maritime Group NAF Benin, Team Leader MILOB Team Site 615 Mahagi (Ituri Brigade) MONUC.
Aviation Planning Officer, MONUC Air Operations Kinshasa, DRC, Commanding Officer Base Services Wing 81 Air Maritime Group Nigerian Air force Benin.
Air Vice Marshal Abubakar is happily married with children and in his leisure time, he enjoys flying airplanes, reading, reflecting and keeping fit.
…IGP
| Mr Egbetokun, a former Commissioner of Police in Lagos state, was elevated to the rank of DIG three months ago by the Police Service Commission (PSC) following the retirement of DIG Johnson Babatunde Kokumo who retired from the Service on March. 15, 2023.The former Chief Security Officer to Tinubu when he was Lagos state governor, in 1999, served as the Commander, Rapid Response Squad, Lagos, Squadron Commander, Mopol 5, Benin, Benin City, Officer-in-Charge, Anti-Fraud Unit, FCT Command, Abuja; Chief Superintendent of Police, Administration, Lagos State Command Head Quarters, Ikeja; Area Commander, Osogbo, Osun State Command; and Area Commander, Gusau, Zamfara State Command, among others. The new police boss graduated from the University of Lagos, Akoka, Yaba, Lagos, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics in June 1987; and lectured Mathematics briefly at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, before his enlistment into the Police Force. Similarly, Egbetokun also holds an MSc in Engineering Analysis from UNILAG, Postgraduate Diploma in Petroleum Economics from Delta State University, Abraka, and MBA from Lagos State University Ojo. |
..President off to France
Meanwhile, President Tinubu would Thursday join world leaders in Paris, France, to review and sign a New Global Financial Pact that places vulnerable countries on priority list for support and investment, following devastating impact of climate change, energy crisis, and after effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He would participate in the two-day Summit, June 22 and 23, that would look at opportunities to restore fiscal space to countries that face difficult short-term financial challenges, especially the most indebted; mobilize innovative financing for countries vulnerable to climate change; foster development in low-income countries, and encourage investment in “green” infrastructure for the energy transition in emerging and developing economies.
President Tinubu and the other global leaders, multilateral institutions, financial experts and economists would take a more holistic look at the recovery of economies from the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, and rising cases of poverty, with a view to providing access to finance and investment that will leverage inclusive growth.
The summit, to be hosted by President Emmanuel Macron of France, would be held at Palais Brongniart.
The President would be accompanied by members of the Presidential Policy Advisory Council and senior government officials.
He would return to Abuja Saturday.
