Tinubu Meets with Service Chiefs in Abuja Amid Fresh Military Reshuffle
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Monday, held a closed-door meeting with Nigeria’s new service chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Although details of the discussions were not disclosed, sources suggest the meeting focused on reviewing the country’s security architecture following recent changes in the military hierarchy. Among those present were the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede; the Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Kelvin Aneke; the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Idi Abbas; the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Major General E.A.P. Undiendeye; and the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Waidi Shaibu. Confirming the meeting in a post on X (formerly Twitter), Sunday Dare, Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication to the President, described it as a strategic session between the Commander-in-Chief and the newly appointed service chiefs.
The development comes just days after President Tinubu carried out a major reshuffle in the military, appointing General Oluyede (a former Chief of Army Staff) as the new Chief of Defence Staff to replace General Christopher Musa.
Major General E.A.P. Undiendeye was retained as Chief of Defence Intelligence, while the other positions were filled with new officers. Dare explained that the shake-up was part of efforts to “strengthen Nigeria’s national security architecture,” adding that all appointments take immediate effect.
However, the move has drawn criticism from the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), which has demanded clarity from the Federal Government regarding the rationale behind the sudden changes.
In a statement signed by its spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said, “The government owes Nigerians a categorical explanation about what truly happened. Our concern is the stability of our nation and democracy, especially considering recent instability in neighbouring Chad and Sahel States.”
