The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has approved a strategic reshuffling of senior officers across key commands, operational units, and training institutions.
The postings, which affect several Major Generals and Brigadier Generals, were announced on Saturday in a statement by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele.
Under the new deployments, Major General W.M. Dangana has been appointed the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 Division, Jos, and Commander of the Joint Task Force, Operation Enduring Peace. He replaces Major General E.F. Oyinlola.
Similarly, Major General E.I. Okoro takes over as the GOC 6 Division, Port Harcourt, and Land Component Commander of the Joint Task Force South-South, Operation Delta Safe, replacing Major General E.E. Emeka.
Other key command appointments include Major General J.R. Lar, who becomes the Commander, Army Headquarters Garrison, while Brigadier General O.M. Oyekola has been named the Acting Military Secretary (Army). Brigadier General I. Waziri retains his position as the Chief of Staff to the COAS.
In the brigade commands, Brigadier General I.B. Buhari is the new Commander of 63 Brigade, while Brigadier General K. Rabiu takes charge of the 31 Artillery Brigade. In a bid to enhance the Army’s technological warfare capability, Major General S.A. Emmanuel has been appointed Commander of the Nigerian Army Space Command, while Major General O. Adegbe becomes the Director of Intelligence and Security at Defence Headquarters.
For training and educational institutions, Major General K.E. Chigbu has been deployed as the Deputy Commandant of the National Defence College. Major General S.D. Makolo becomes the Commandant of the Nigerian Army Armour School, while Major General S.O. Adejimi takes over the Nigerian Army School of Supply and Transport.
Additionally, Major General F.S. Etim is the new Chief of Training at the Headquarters of the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Minna, while Brigadier General U. Ahmad takes over as the Commandant of the Depot Nigerian Army, Zaria.
The reshuffle also affected the Army’s business enterprises, with Major General K.O. Ukandu appointed as the Managing Director/CEO of Post Housing Development Limited (PHDL), and Major General A.I. Allison taking over as the Managing Director of Defence Properties Limited.
According to Colonel Anele, the COAS charged the newly appointed officers to justify the confidence reposed in them by demonstrating exemplary leadership, professionalism, and innovation in defending Nigeria’s territorial integrity.
