The Nigerian Army on Monday marked the beginning of a new era with the symbolic lowering and hoisting of the command flag at Army Headquarters, as Lt.-Gen. Olufemi Oluyede officially assumed office as the 24th Chief of Army Staff (COAS).
Oluyede’s appointment, following the death of his predecessor, Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, was approved by President Bola Tinubu on October 30 in an acting capacity.
The ceremony, held in Abuja, is a longstanding military tradition symbolizing the transfer of authority.
It follows the unusual presentation of Oluyede’s insignia of office by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, on November 1.
Before his elevation, Oluyede was the 56th Commander of the elite Infantry Corps of the Nigerian Army, headquartered in Jaji, Kaduna.
A veteran of numerous operations, he has been a key figure in advancing the army’s operational capacity.
The 56-year-old officer is a graduate of the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA), where he was a member of the 39th Regular Course alongside his late predecessor, Lagbaja.
Commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1992 (retroactively effective from 1987), Oluyede rose to the rank of Major General in September 2020.
The newly minted Chief of Army Staff faces numerous challenges, including counterinsurgency operations in the North-East, tackling banditry in the North-West, and managing other security threats across the nation.
