On Friday, the departing Chiefs of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, Lt. Gen. Farouk Yahaya, and Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo of the Nigerian Navy, will transfer over to their successors.
But today (Thursday), Air Marshal Oludayo Amao, the departing Chief of Air Staff, will take over command to his replacement.
The immediate resignation of the service chiefs was announced by the president, Bola Tinubu, on Monday.
Along with their replacements, the President named Maj. Gen. Christopher Musa as the new Chief of Defence Staff, Maj. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja as the new Chief of Army Staff, Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla as the new Chief of Naval Staff, and Air Vice Marshal Abubakar as the new Chief of Air Staff.
Our correspondent’s investigation revealed that two days after being appointed, the new service chiefs had not yet started their jobs.
The handing over and taking over will take place on Friday, Brig. Gen. Tukur Gusau, director of defence information, stated this on Wednesday. You are welcome.
The handover procedure was proceeding according to Brig. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, Director of Army Public Relations, who also assured our correspondent.
“The handover process has already been under way,” he declared. The outgoing COAS had virtual meetings with commanders in the morning and with the heads of the service’s establishments in the evening. He thanked them at the meetings for their assistance. He pleaded with them to give his successor the same backing. The transition should happen on Friday, but there are still a lot of preparations to make, such as writing the handover note.
In a previous statement, the military had referred to online allegations (not by The PUNCH) that “allege the unwillingness of the departing Chief of the Naval Staff to transfer over to the incoming Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral EI Ogalla,” as mischievous.
“The media claims are utterly untrue, deceptive, and capable of spreading misinformation to unwary members of the public,” Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan, the service’s spokesperson, declared in a statement on Wednesday.
“Suffice to say that giving and taking over ceremonies in the Nigerian Navy have always been procedural,” he continued. The outgoing CNS will ceremoniously lower the ensign and give the incoming CNS a thorough briefing before touring important naval sites. In accordance with long-standing naval tradition, the schedule of activities building up to the formal handing over and taking over ceremony has begun and will conclude with a public ceremony on Friday, June 23, 2023.
The new CNS has resumed, according to the Nigerian Air Force’s spokeswoman, Air Commodore Ayodele Famuyiwa, who also stated that the handover will take place on Thursday.
The new CNS has resumed, he declared. He had been working at headquarters prior to his appointment. He oversaw evaluation and standardisation. Tomorrow (Thursday), the handing and taking over will occur.”
