President Bola Tinubu decorated the service chiefs with new ranks at a symbolic ceremony held inside the council chambers of the State House on Thursday.
Those decorated were Olufemi Oluyede, chief of defence staff; Waidi Shaibu, chief of army staff; Idi Abass, chief of naval staff; Kevin Aneke, chief of air ataff; and Emmanuel Undiendeye, chief of defence intelligence.
The president performed the ceremony in the presence of top government officials and security chiefs, assisted by the spouses of the newly promoted officers.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, Godswill Akpabio, the senate president; and Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house of representatives; led other dignitaries at the event.
Barau Jibrin, the deputy senate president; George Akume, secretary to the government of the federation; Femi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff to the president; and Didi Walson-Jack, head of service; we’re among dignitaries at the ceremony.
Also present were Nuhu Ribadu, national security adviser; Abubakar Badaru, minister of defence; and Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation.
The ceremony was equally attended by AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, governor of Kwara state and chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum; Kayode Egbetokun, the inspector-general of police; as well as the heads of the Department of State Services, National Intelligence Agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC)
The decoration followed national assembly’s confirmation of the nominees after Tinubu requested swift approval to enable the new military chiefs to assume duty without delay.
The ceremony marked the formal transition of command in the nation’s armed forces, symbolising renewed leadership and a fresh drive toward strengthening Nigeria’s defence architecture.
