Three weeks after his inauguration, President Bola Tinubu, Monday, appointed and directed new Service Chiefs, Inspector-General of Police and Comptroller-General, Nigeria Customs Service to resume duty immediately.
This was after he had sacked the service chiefs who served under the administration of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari for years.
The appointments are contained in a statement Monday evening by Mr. Willie Bassey, Director, Information, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Also read: Tinubu Appoints Ribadu, Edun, Alake, Five Other Special Advisers
The statement said the appointed Service Chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police and the Comptroller General of Customs are to act in their positions, pending their confirmation by the National Assembly.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has approved the immediate retirement of all Service Chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police, Advisers, Comptroller-General of Customs from Service as well as their replacements with immediate effect,” said a statement by Willie Bassey, the Director of Information on behalf of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.
The new Service Chiefs are:
- Gen. C.G Musa, Chief of Defence Staff
- Gen. T. A Lagbaja, Chief of Army Staff
- Rear Admiral E. A Ogalla Chief of Naval Staff
- AVM H.B Abubakar Chief of Air Staff
- DIG Kayode Egbetokun Acting Inspector-General of Police
- Gen. EPA Undiandeye Chief of Defense Intelligence
The President also approved the following appointments:
1 Col. Adebisi Onasanya Brigade of Guards Commander
2 Lt. Col. Moshood Abiodun Yusuf 7 Guards Battalion, Asokoro, Abuja
3 Lt. Col. Auwalu Baba Inuwa 177, Guards Battalion, Keffi, Nasarawa State
4 Lt. Col. Mohammed J. Abdulkarim 102 Guards Battalion, Suleja, Niger
5 Lt. Col. Olumide A. Akingbesote 176 Guards Battalion, Gwagwalada, Abuja.
Similarly, the President has approved the appointments of other Military Officers in the Presidential Villa as follows:
S/N NAME APPOINTMENTS
- Maj. Isa Farouk Audu
(N/14695) Commanding Officer State House Artillery - Capt. Kazeem Olalekan Sunmonu (N/16183) Second-in-Command, State House Artillery
- Maj. Kamaru Koyejo Hamzat (N/14656) Commanding Officer, State House Military Intelligence
- Maj. TS Adeola (N/12860) Commanding Officer, State House Armament
- Lt. A. Aminu (N/18578) Second-in- Command, State House Armament
The President named a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu, as his new National Security Adviser (NSA). Ribadu replaces Babagana Monguno as the nation’s NSA.
President Tinubu also approved the appointments of two additional Special Advisers, and two Senior Assistants.
While Hadiza Bala Usman was appointed Special Adviser, Policy Coordination; Hannatu Musa Musawa was appointed Special Adviser, Culture and Entertainment Economy.
Also Senator Abdullahi Abubakar Gumel, Senior Special Assistant, National Assembly Matters (Senate); Hon. (Barr) Olarewaju Kunle Ibrahim, Senior Special Assistant, National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives).
The President equally approved the appointment of Adeniyi Bashir Adewale as the Ag. Comptroller General of Customs, who takes over from Hameed Ali.
Those affected in the unprecedented shakeup include Alkali Usman who was removed as the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Lucky Irabor, sacked as the Chief of Defence Staff; Faruk Yahaya, retired as the Chief of Army Staff; Awwal Gambo, removed as the Chief of Naval Staff; and Isiaka Amao, retired as Chief of Air Staff.
“It is to be noted that the appointed Service Chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police and the Comptroller General of Customs are to act in their positions, pending their confirmation in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Bassey stressed.
The move by the President followed persistent calls by civil society organisations that the security architecture be rejigged and fresh hands allowed to handle the nation’s security apparatus.
From May 2015 to May 2023, verifiable data showed that over 55,000 Nigerians were killed by terrorists, bandits, and armed gangs during the administration of immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari. The former military head of state was criticised by many over the alarming killings in the country under his watch.
During his inauguration speech, Tinubu, who took over from Buhari, his fellow party man on May 29, 2023, promised to “defend the nation from terror and all forms of criminality that threaten the peace and stability of our country”, adding that “to effectively tackle this menace, we shall reform both our security doctrine and its architecture.”
Tinubu had previously suspended Abdulrasheed Bawa as EFCC chairman and Godwin Emefiele as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Agencies exempt from this dissolution are:
1. Code of conduct Bureau (CCB)
2. Council of State
3. Federal Character Commission (FCC)
4. Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC)
5. Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
6. National Defense Council (NDC)
7. National Economic Council (NEC)
8. National Judicial Commission (NJC)
9. National Population Commission (NPC)
10. National Security Council (NSC)
11. National Police Council (NPC)
12. Police Service Commission (PSC)
13. Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC)
