Olayomi Koiki
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has appointed Major General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede as the acting Chief of Army Staff (COAS), a spokesman said Wednesday.
According to presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, Oluyede will hold sway as the COAS pending the return of Lt. General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja, who is said to be indisposed and is receiving treatment abroad.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, has appointed Major General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede as the acting Chief of Army Staff (COAS),” a statement by Onanuga read.
“Oluyede will act in the position pending the return of the indisposed substantive Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja.”
Few days ago, several reports emerged after a former presidential aide and social media commentator, Jackson Ude, claimed that that Lagbaja had died of cancer.
“The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has died. Lagbaja died in an undisclosed hospital overseas nearly 48 hours ago from stage three cancer, according to a senior government official,” the post read.
“The death of the Chief of Army Staff has been kept secret due to intense lobbying by some generals who wish to take the position.
“Lagbaja, born on 28 February 1968 in Ilobu, Osun State, was appointed by President Bola Tinubu in June 2023 as the 27th Chief of Army Staff.”
This forced the army authorities to debunk the report on October 20, describing it as fake news.
Army spokesman Major General Onyema Nwachukwu clarified that Lagbaja was on official leave, and necessary protocols have been put in place for the Chief of Policy and Plans (Army), Major General Abdulsalami Ibrahim, to act on behalf of the COAS during his absence.
Nwachukwu said Lagbaja’s absence was not affecting the operations of the service.
“There have even been insinuations that there is a leadership vacuum, with officers confused about what to do. Nothing could be further from the truth,” the army spokesman said.
“To be very clear, the Nigerian Army is a highly structured establishment with well-laid-out procedures and processes for dealing with different circumstances. Before proceeding on leave, necessary protocols were put in place for the Chief of Policy and Plans (Army), Major General Abdulsalami Bagudu Ibrahim, to act on behalf of the COAS while he was away.
“This is not peculiar to the NA, as there have been instances where unforeseen human frailty kept service chiefs away for about three months, and their Chiefs of Policy and Plans held sway in their absence. Claims of a leadership vacuum in the NA at present are therefore mere speculation, as all routine and scheduled activities of the service are on course.”
The army spokesman said all routine and scheduled activities of the service were on course, adding that the appropriate departmental chiefs are fully carrying out their responsibilities in line with the COAS directives.