Appointment of Maj. Gen. Olufemi Oluyede
Guess what? Maj. Gen. Olufemi Oluyede is going to be the acting Chief of Army Staff starting on November 1st. President Bola Tinubu picked him for the job while the real Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Taoreed Lagbaja, is away sick.
Appointment Controversy
Some people were saying that appointing an acting Chief of Army Staff isn’t allowed by the rules. The Defence Headquarters even said so in a statement on October 21st. They made it clear that this kind of appointment isn’t a thing in the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
Response to Fake News
Someone named Jackson Ude, who used to work for former President Goodluck Jonathan, spread a rumor that Lagbaja had passed away from cancer. The Nigerian Army quickly said that was fake news. They set the record straight in a notice signed by Group Captain Chris Erondu on behalf of Brig Gen Tukur Gusau.
Handover Ceremony
There’s going to be a ceremony to officially hand over the job to Maj. Gen. Oluyede. It’s happening at the Defence Headquarters conference room at 10 am. The notice said, “The formal taking over ceremony of the newly appointed acting Chief of Army Staff, Major General Olufemi Oluyede is scheduled for tomorrow as follows: Date: 1 November 2024; Time: 10000hrs; Venue: DHQ Conference Room, Abuja.”
