Senior military officers have been given a deadline of Monday, July 3, 2023, by the Defence Headquarters to tender their resignation.
The Defence Headquarters thereafter directed all senior officers with seniority on commission above the Nigerian Defence Academy Regular Course 39 to proceed on voluntary retirement.
The notice of resignation was issued in an official statement from the Defence Headquarters signed by Maj-Gen. Y. Yayaha for the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
“I am directed to respectfully request services to direct all officers with seniority on commission above that of Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) regular course 39 to submit their applications for voluntary retirement from service with immediate effect,” Yayaha said.
“I am to add that affected officers are to submit their applications to their respective service headquarters no later than on Monday, July 3, 2023.”
A memo dated June 26 and signed on behalf of the CDS by Major General Y Yahaya said the affected officers must tender their resignation letter before the states state to preserve and uphold the tenets of the military profession.
The memo read, “It would be recalled that the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently appointed new CDS and Service Chiefs on June 19, 2023. In order to preserve and uphold the tenets of the military profession which values hierarchy and service discipline, it is important that all officers whose officer cadet courses run seniority above that of the current Service Chiefs disengage from the Service.
“Consequently, I am directed to respectfully request Services to direct all officers with seniority on commission above that of NDA Regular Course 39 to submit their applications for voluntary retirement from Service with immediate effect. I am to add that affected officers are to submit their applications to their
respective Service Headquarters not later than Mon July 3, 2023.”
According to military tradition, senior officers are unlikely to take orders from their juniors, thus the new appointments necessitate the compulsory retirement of about 100 top officers, including Generals, Brigadiers-General, Air Vice Marshals, and Admirals in the Nigerian Army, Navy, and Air Force from the Force.
The affected senior officers who are expected to file in their voluntary retirement are officers above the NDA regular course 39.
However, the new Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Christopher Musa is a member of the 38 regular courses.
Also, the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Hassan Abubakar are all members of the NDA 39 regular course.
Meanwhile, the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (retd), has bowed out of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
Irabor bowed out at a ceremony that took place at the Mogadishu Cantonment, Asokoro in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja on Friday.
The pull-out ceremony is part of the military tradition to honor retiring generals. The event involved a march past by the officers of the Nigerian Army among others.
Past Chiefs of Defence, Army, Navy, and Air Staff, among others, attended Friday’s event.
Irabor was appointed CDS in January 2021 and retired alongside others on June 19 following the appointment of new service chiefs by Tinubu.
