Army Appoints, Redeploys 206 Generals, Others

Nigerian Army appointed and redeployed 49 Major Generals and 157 Brigadier Generals and other officers following the recent retirement and promotion of some senior officers.

In the posting, 1,095 officers from the rank of Lieutenant to Major General recently promoted are affected.

In a circular by the military authorities, newly promoted army spokesman, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, however retained his office as the director of Army Public Relations.

A breakdown shows that 49 Major Generals, 157 Brigadier Generals, 64 Colonels, 302 Lieutenant Colonels, 139 majors and 122 captains, among others, were affected.

The appointment and posting signed by the military secretary, Major General E.F. Oyinlola, dated January 2, 2024, is with effect from January 8, 2024.

Also, the authorisation for the amendment and deletion of a total of 120 officers was given.

The affected officers comprise six colonels, 26 lieutenant colonels, 33 majors, 26 captains and 29 lieutenants.

The military secretary threatened to sanction officers who refused to resume at their new offices.

He advised commanders to ensure the release of the affected officers, noting that they would bear responsibility for their officers’ failure to resume.

“It is the responsibility of all formation/unit commanders, whose officers are affected by this posting, to implement accordingly. Officers must take over on the effective dates indicated. Formation/unit commanders are to take immediate administrative action on any officer who refuses to report on the effective date of posting and inform the Army HQ Dept of Military Secretary.

“Commanders who fail to release posted officers at the time stipulated will be appropriately sanctioned. Commanders will also be held responsible for lapses in the implementation of the directives contained herein,” the memo added.

Gen. Nwachukwu, who confirmed the development, said posting was normal in the service following the promotion of a new crop of senior officers.

He, however, said there was no major shake-up as no General Officer Commanding (GOC) was affected.

He clarified that the controversy over the deletion was needless, stating that once a new posting comes, the former has to be cancelled (deleted) to pave the way for the new one.