Top officers who are senior to the newly appointed service chiefs have been allowed till Monday to voluntarily retire from duty, per instructions from Defence Headquarters.
Major General Y. Yahaya, acting on behalf of the Chief of Defence Staff, issued the directive in a memo dated June 26 and addressed to senior officers in the Nigerian Army, Air Force, and Navy above the newly appointed service chiefs.
According to The PUNCH, the decision follows the appointment of new service chiefs by President Bola Tinubu on June 19.
The retirement of senior officers from all three services adhered to the established military tradition of retiring officers who held higher ranks than the service chiefs.
In a memo with reference number DHQ/I5/PLANS/801/13 obtained by newsmen,the DHQ directed all officers with seniority on commission above that of Nigerian Defence Academy Regular Course 39 to submit their applications for voluntary retirement from service with immediate effect.
‘’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 no later than Mon July 3, 2023.”
When asked about the number of naval officers who may be affected by Thursday’s directive, the army’s spokesperson, Onyema Nwachukwu, responded, “I am unable to provide such statistics until the situation unfolds.”
In response, Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan of the Nigerian Navy stated, “I believe the interim DDI, DHQ (Director, Defence Information) can be reached to speak for the AFN. There have already been rumours in some print media about this. However, once approved and authorised, it will be disclosed.
Air Commodore Ayodele Famuyiwa, the spokesperson for the Nigerian Air Force, declined to comment, stating that he is transferring over to his successor on Monday.
However, the acting Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, could not be reached regarding the number of senior officers who may be affected by the directive because he did not respond to phone calls or a text message sent to his phone.
Col Foluso Saka, a retired colonel, commented on the directive to senior officers by stating that it was time for the military to establish a corps for retired personnel, as their experiences, particularly those with technical skills, could still benefit the country.
Recall that Tinubu had announced the immediate retirement of General Lucky Irabor who was the Chief of Defence Staff; the Chief of Army Staff, Lieut Gen Farouk Yahaya; the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, and Air Marshal Oludayo Amao, the Chief of Air Staff and replaced them with new military chiefs.
