Presidency reveals why Tinubu sacked Nigerian Service Chiefs

The Presidency has explained that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to remove and replace the country’s service chiefs was aimed at injecting fresh energy and direction into the Nigerian Armed Forces, not linked to any alleged coup plot.

Speaking with Saturday Punch, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Tinubu acted squarely within his constitutional powers as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, stressing that such leadership changes were routine and necessary for strategic renewal.

“Service chiefs can be hired and fired by the President. He is the Commander in Chief. He has the power to hire and fire,” Onanuga said.

On Friday, President Tinubu announced major changes in the military hierarchy, bringing new faces to the top command structure of the armed forces.

According to a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, General Olufemi Oluyede was appointed the new Chief of Defence Staff, replacing General Christopher Musa.

Other appointments include Major General W. Shaibu as Chief of Army Staff, Air Vice Marshal S. K. Aneke as Chief of Air Staff, and Rear Admiral I. Abbas as Chief of Naval Staff. The Chief of Defence Intelligence, Major General E. A. P. Undiendeye, retained his position.

Dare said the appointments took immediate effect, adding that the President charged the new service chiefs to uphold professionalism, vigilance and unity in the discharge of their duties.

“The President expects the new service chiefs to justify the confidence reposed in them by delivering enhanced security across all regions,” Dare said.

The shakeup came barely a week after an online media outlet, Sahara Reporters, published a story alleging a coup plot involving some senior military officers. The report, which went viral on October 19, linked the detention of 16 officers to the alleged plot and claimed that the cancellation of the Independence Day parade was part of efforts to quell internal unrest within the military.

However, the Defence Headquarters swiftly debunked the claim.

In a statement signed by the Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, the Defence Headquarters dismissed the report as false, mischievous and capable of causing unnecessary tension among citizens.

Gusau clarified that the detained officers were being investigated for issues of indiscipline and that the parade’s cancellation was purely administrative.

“The Armed Forces of Nigeria remain loyal to the Constitution and the Commander in Chief,” the statement read.

Despite the official clarification, public speculation persisted over the timing of the sack, which came just days after the controversial coup report.

Addressing the concerns, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Tope Ajayi, reaffirmed that the changes were part of a broader strategic overhaul after two years of sustained operations under the previous service chiefs.

“This is not a reaction to any rumour of coups. The President is exercising his constitutional authority,” Ajayi explained.

“The service chiefs have done two years, and the President believes it is time to inject new direction, vision, vigour and energy into the military. We are confronting multiple security challenges from Boko Haram in the North East and banditry in the North West to IPOB and ESN in the South East, kidnapping in the South West and other crises in the North Central.”

Observers say the latest changes reflect Tinubu’s intention to reinvigorate the nation’s security architecture and strengthen the fight against insurgency, banditry and other forms of insecurity across the country.