President Bola Tinubu has appointed Major General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede as the acting Chief of Army Staff. Oluyede will fill the role temporarily due to the absence of Lt. General Taoree Lagbaja, who is receiving medical treatment in the United States.
“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),” Bayo Onanuga, the president’s special adviser on information and strategy, announced Wednesday.
Oluyede will lead the Army “pending the return of the indisposed substantive Chief of Army Staff,” Onanuga added.
Until this appointment, Oluyede served as the 56th Commander of the elite Infantry Corps of the Nigerian Army, based in Jaji, Kaduna. A 56-year-old seasoned officer, he and Lagbaja were course mates in the 39th Regular Course.
“Oluyede has held many commands since his commissioning as an officer,” Onanuga said, highlighting key roles, including commanding operations in Liberia, Bakassi, and northeastern Nigeria. He added that Oluyede has earned multiple honors, including the Corps Medal of Honour and the Chief of Army Staff Commendation Award.
Oluyede, commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1992, rose to the rank of Major General in 2020.
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
