Olufemi Oluyede assumes office as Nigeria’s 24th Chief of Army Staff

Olufemi Oluyede has formally assumed office as the 24th Chief of Army Staff, after a symbolic lowering and hoisting of the command flag at the Army Headquarters in Abuja to that effect.

His appointment, following the tragic passing of his predecessor, Taoreed Lagbaja, marks a new chapter for the Nigerian Army on Monday.

Oluyede was appointed by President Bola Tinubu on October 30, and his confirmation by the National Assembly solidified his position, culminating in the traditional flag ceremony, which officially marked the beginning of his tenure.

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Earlier, on November 1, Christopher Musa, Chief of Defence Staff, had presented Oluyede with the insignia of office in an unusual yet symbolic act aligned with the Armed Forces Act.

Before his new role, the 56-year-old Oluyede served as the 56th Commander of the elite Infantry Corps in Jaji, Kaduna State, a position that highlighted his extensive military expertise.

A member of the 39th Regular Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1992, retroactively effective from 1987, and attained the rank of major general in September 2020.

Oluyede’s ascent to the apex of the Nigerian Army is particularly significant given his long-standing camaraderie with his late predecessor, Lagbaja, as both were course mates at the NDA.