*As New COAS Plants Own Men On Ground
A heavy shakeup has hit the Nigeria Army today with new Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.Gen. Waidi Shaibu, posting several top brass to new positions.
Amid news of coup plot, which reportedly led President Bola Tinubu to sack the former service chiefs and appoint Gen. Shaibu and others as replacements, there emerged a strong need to move officers around and possibly disrupt any fresh coup plans.
According to a statement signed by Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Lt. Col. Appolonia Anele, on Thursday evening, among the newly appointed senior officers are Maj. Gen. Bamidele Alabi, who has been redeployed to Army Headquarters Department of Policy and Plans as Chief of Policy and Plans (Army); Maj. Gen. Jamal Abdulsalam, formerly Chief of Special Services and Programmes at Army Headquarters proceeds to Defence Headquarters Department of Operations as Chief of Defence Operations, while Maj. Gen. Peter Mala moves from Office of the National Security Adviser to Headquarters Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) as Commander.
Also, Maj. Gen. Samson Jiya of Nigerian Army Heritage and Future Centre (NAHFC) goes to Defence Headquarters Department of Defence Accounts and Budget as Chief of Defence Accounts and Budget.
Other strategic appointments include those of Maj. Gen. Mayirenso Saraso from NAHFC to Army Headquarters Department of Operations, as Chief of Operations (Army); Maj. Gen. Isa Abdullahi from Defence Headquarters to Army Headquarters Department of Administration as Chief of Administration (Army); Maj. Gen. Musa Etsu-Ndagi from Army Headquarters Department of Training to Army Headquarters Department of Civil-Military Affairs, as Chief of Civil-Military Affairs.
Maj. Gen. Abubakar Haruna moves from NAHFC to Nigerian Army Training Centre (NATRAC), Kontagora, as Commander, while Maj. Gen. Philip Ilodibia from Army Headquarters Department of Policy and Plans to Defence Space Administration as Chief of Defence Space Administration.
Appointed too are Maj. Gen. Godwin Mutkut from Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) N’Djamena to Headquarters Infantry Corps Centre as Corps Commander (Infantry), Maj. Gen. Umar Abubakar from the Ministry of Defence to Headquarters Nigerian Army Armoured Corps as Commander, Armoured Corps; Maj. Gen. John Adeyemo moves from Nigerian Army School of Artillery (NASA) to Headquarters Nigerian Army Corps of Artillery as Corps Commander (Artillery) and Maj. Gen. Mohammed Abdullahi from Nigerian Army Cyberwarfare Command to Headquarters Nigerian Army Signals as Corps Commander (Signals).
Additionally, Maj. Gen. Taofik Sidick has been redeployed from NAHFC to Headquarters Nigerian Army Finance Corps as Chief of Accounts and Budget (Army); Maj. Gen. Abdullahi Ibrahim from NAHFC to Headquarters Nigerian Army Ordnance Corps as Corps Commander (Ordnance); Maj. Gen. Adeyinka Adereti from Defence Headquarters to Headquarters Nigerian Army Electrical and Mechanical Engineers as Corps Commander; Maj. Gen. Nansak Shagaya from Army Headquarters Department of Operations to Headquarters Nigerian Army Corps of Supply and Transport as Corps Commander (Supply and Transport) while Brig. Gen. Yusha’u Ahmed has been appointed Acting Corps Commander, Education.
The COAS also approved the appointment of Maj. Gen. Oluyemi Olatoye, from Headquarters 82 Division/ Joint Task Force South East Operation UDO KA to the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna, and appointed Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Mustapha from Defence Space Administration to Nigerian Army Signal School as Commandant; Maj. Gen. Adamu Hassan from Nigerian Defence Section, Riyadh, to Nigerian Army School of Artillery as Commandant; and Brig. Gen. John Bulus from Headquarters Nigerian Army Finance Corps to Nigerian Army School of Finance and Accounts as Commandant.
Senior officers appointed as field commanders were Maj. Gen. Saidu Audu from Army Headquarters Department of Training to MNJTF N’Djamena as Force Commander; Maj. Gen. Warrah Idris from Defence Headquarters to Joint Task Force North West Operation FANSAN YAMMA as Commander and Maj. Gen. Oluremi Fadairo from Army Headquarters Department of Civil Military Affairs to 82 Division Nigerian Army, Enugu as General Officer Commanding (GOC) and Commander, Joint Task Force South East Operation UDO KA.
The COAS further appointed Maj. Gen. Olatokunbo Bello as the Director, Defence Media Operations at Defence Headquarters while Brig. Gen. Samaila Uba was redeployed from the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, to Defence Headquarters as Director, Defence Information.
The COAS charged the newly-appointed top brass to bring their wealth of operational experience, administrative acumen and strategic foresight to drive a disciplined and combat-ready Army to decisively confront existing and emerging security challenges.
*PHOTO CAPTION: COAS Gen. Shaibu.
