President Bola Tinubu has announced the appointment of new service chiefs, a decision that will result in the retirement of more than 160 senior military officers across the armed forces.
The new appointments include General Olufemi Oluyede as Chief of Defence Staff, Major-General W. Shaibu as Chief of Army Staff, Air Vice Marshal S.K. Aneke as Chief of Air Staff, and Rear Admiral I. Abbas as Chief of Naval Staff.
In keeping with established military hierarchy, officers who are senior to the newly appointed service chiefs are required to retire. This transition will see around 120 officers from the Army and about 40 from the Navy and Air Force leaving service.
This wave of exits is not without precedent. Following the death of the late Lt Gen Ibrahim Attahiru, a 35 Regular Course member, his successor Gen Faruk Yahaya of 37 RC triggered the retirement of officers from both 35 and 36 RC. The same generational shift is now unfolding again, marking what insiders describe as a “necessary reset” within the military command structure.
While the move opens long-stalled promotion opportunities for younger officers, it also signals an abrupt end to the careers of many seasoned commanders who have spent over three decades in uniform.
With the latest appointments, officers from the 41 Regular Course are now poised to dominate the Army’s leadership ranks symbolizing a transition from the era of those trained in the late 1980s and early 1990s to a new generation commissioned in the mid-1990s.
