No fewer than 25 top military generals could retire following the appointment of Major General Farouk Yahaya as Chief of Army Staff.
Yahaya was on Thursday announced as Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru’s successor after his demise in a plane crash in Kaduna last Friday.
Until his appointment, Yahaya was the Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, responsible for counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations in the North-East.
Yahaya’s emergence could, however, lead to the abrupt end of the careers of his seniors who were of the Regular Course 35 and Regular Course 36.
According to military tradition, the new COAS, who is of Course 37, is junior to these officers and cannot superintend over them.
Yahaya is also junior to the other service chiefs.
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, is of Regular Course 34 Intake; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo and Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, both being Regular Course 35 intakes.
It was gathered that the appointment of Yahaya, who is from Sokoto State, was a bit delayed because President Muhammadu Buhari was trying to weigh the ethnic and religion factors in naming a new COAS.
A source said, “The President finally settled for Yahaya because many of the Generals in Regular Courses 35 and 36 were found to be from the same tribe or same state as other security chiefs in the Ministry of Defence, National Security Adviser’s office, the Navy and the Air Force.
“For instance, Major General. Jamil Sarham, of Regular Course 36, former Commandant Nigerian Defence Academy is from Kano, where the Minister of Defence, Major General. Bashir Magashi (retd.) and the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, hail from.
“From all indications no fewer than 25 major generals from courses 35 and 36 will leave the force with the appointment Yahaya.”
The source also cited another contender to the top military position, the Chief of Policy and Plan Maj. Gen. Benjamin Ahanotu of Regular Course 35, who is from Anambra state, which shares boundary with Delta State where the CDS hailed from.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army has announced that Yahaya will officially assume command on Saturday.
The Army made this known in a statement through its Director Public Relations, Brigadier General Mohammed Yerima on Friday.
“The newly appointed Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Major General Faruk Yahaya will officially assume command as the 22nd COAS tomorrow 28 May 2021. The ceremony which is expected to start by 10am will take place at the Army Headquarters, Abuja,” the statement said.
“Consequently, you are please requested to detail your media crew to cover the event and disseminate to the public”.
The COAS was born on January 5, 1966 in Sifawa, Bodinga Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
He started his cadet training at the NDA on September 27, 1985 and was commissioned into the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps on September 22, 1990.
Notable among the appointments held by the new COAS is Garrison Commander Headquarters Guards Brigade, Directing Staff at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Deputy Director Army Headquarters Department of Military Secretary, Deputy Director Army Research and Development and the Chief of Staff, Headquarters Joint Task Force Operation Pulo Shield.
