President Bola Tinubu has submitted a letter to the Senate requesting the approval of Lieutenant General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede’s appointment as the permanent Chief of Army Staff.
Oluyede was recently appointed as the acting COAS on October 30, after the prolonged illness of the late Taoreed Lagbaja, the former army chief.
A report from Bayo Onanuga the presidential spokesperson, Tinubu’s Friday request for Oluyede’s confirmation is in accordance with the provision of section 218(2) of the 1999 Constitution as amended and section 18(1) of the Armed Forces Act.
Onanuga stated that Tinubu is “confident about the leadership qualities, professional integrity, and experience” of Oluyede for the leadership of the army.
Oluyede boasts an impressive military career, having served as the 56th commander of the infantry corps of the Nigerian Army, Kaduna.
He was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1992 and rose to the position of Major General in September 2020.
Oluyede and the late Lagbaja were coursemates and members of the 39th regular course. Recently, Oluyede was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General.
Throughout his career, Oluyede has participated in several operations, including the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) mission in Liberia, operation Harmony IV in Bakassi, and operation Hadin Kai in the north-east theatre of operations. He also served as the commander of the 27 task force brigade.