The Nigerian Armed Forces, on Tuesday, announced the promotion of 235 officers to the ranks of one and two-star generals in the service.
The announcement of the promotion was made after the sitting of the Army Council, Navy council and the Air Council respectively held at the ship house of the Ministry of Defence with the minister, Bashir Magashi, presiding as chairman.
The Nigerian Army promoted 36 officers to the ranks of Major-Generals from Brigadier Generals, while 76 Colonels were promoted to Brigadier-Generals.
The Nigerian Navy promoted 21 Commodores to Rear Admirals and 36 Captains to Commodores, while the NAF promoted 30 new Air Vice Marshals from Air Commodores and 36 Group Captains to Air Commodores.
SaharaReporters had on December 13 reported that the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Leo Irabor, ordered 50 Generals in the Nigerian military to tender their resignation with immediate effect.
The officers had cut across the Nigerian Air Force, the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Navy; around 25 of the senior officers are in the army.
An impeccable had source stated that Irabor gave the directive at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja.
“They are about 50; two of them in the Army will retire in 2022, while the rest have about three and half years left in service”, the source had revealed.
Another source wondered why the Armed Forces were eager to ease out scores of capable and experienced hands at a time the country is battling insecurity.
Ironically, Irabor had recently intervened in the 2016 forceful retirement of 38 Nigerian Army officers via a letter (Ref. No. CDS/8/A) to the Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, a retired Major-General.
They were asked to go in June 2016, an action described as arbitrary by those affected, security personnel, experts and Nigerians.
Till date, the military and the federal government are yet to comply with extant court judgments ordering the officers’ reabsorption.
