By Madu Onuorah
With the sweeping retirements Chief of Defence Staff (General Lucky Irabor), Chief of Army Staff (Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya), Chief of Naval Staff (Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo) and Chief of the Air Staff (Air Marshal Isiaka Oladayo Amao), a gale of retirements is imminent in the three Services of Armed Forces of Nigeria –Army, Navy and Air Force.
And the appointments of new Chief of Defence Staff (Major General Christopher Gwabin Musa), Chief of Army Staff (Major General Taoreed A Lagbaja), Chief of Naval Staff (Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla ) and Chief of the Air Staff (Air Vice Marshal Hassan Bala Abubakar) will result in definite gale of redeployments and promotions.
This is because of the expected reorganisation of the Services as the new Service Chiefs bring in senior officers to fill vacancies that would be created by the retirements.
The looming retirements of senior officers will be triggered by the rule that senior officers cannot serve under their subordinates. And as this will create vacancies within the senior officer rank appointments, it could also lead to more senior officers promoted at the end of this year.
For the Army, Navy and Air Force, all officers under Nigerian Defence Academy Regular Course 39 who could not be accommodated at Defence Headquarters are to proceed on voluntary retirement.
Former Chief of Defence Staff, General Irabor is a member of the NDA Regular Course 34. He was commissioned Second Lieutenant on 28 June 1986 into the Signals Corps of the Nigerian Army.
The 22nd Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya is a member of the 37 Regular Course of the NDA. He commenced officer cadet training on September 27, 1985 and was commissioned into the Nigerian Army Corp of Infantry as a Second Lieutenant on December 27, 1990.
Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo, the 21st indigenous Chief of the Naval Staff, is a member of 36 Regular Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy.
Air Marshal Isiaka Oladayo Amao, the 21st Chief of Air Staff, joined the Armed Forces of Nigeria as a Cadet of the Nigerian Defence Academy Regular Course 35 in January 1984.
The new Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Christopher Gwabin Musa, is a member of the 38th Regular Course of NDA. He was commissioned into the Infantry Corps on 21 September 1991.
The 23rd Chief of Army Staff, Major General Taoreed A Lagbaja, is member of NDA RC 39 and commissioned on 19 Sep 92.
Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, the new Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), is a member of NDA 39 Regular Course.
The new Chief of the Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Hassan Bala Abubakar, enlisted into the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) as a member of NDA RC 39 and commissioned Pilot Offr on 19 Sep 92.
This means that all from NDA Regular Course 35-37 are automatically retired as they cannot remain in service under their juniors.
It also means that only a handful of 38-39 RC officers will remain in service as any of them who could not be accommodated in the few available slots at the Defence Headquarters and tri-Service institutions will retire from service.
Following the reality, because the new Chief of Army Staff is RC 39, all Course 37-39 serving in Army Headquarters including his Course Mates who cannot be accommodated in any of the appointment slots in Defence Headquarters are expected to proceed on retirement.
The same fate befalls senior officers of the same category in the Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Air Force.
The new appointments of CDS and Service Chiefs will also come with new ranks. In line with precedence, Major General Musa will adorn a full four-star General rank. Lagbaja will be decorated with the three-star rank of Lieutenant General; Ogalla with same rank equivalent of Vice Admiral and Abubakar with the Air Marshal rank.
But the decoration with the new ranks by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will come after the conduct of formal confirmation hearings in the Senate.
The confirmation hearings will enable them give clue as to the direction of their Services while enabling the Senators to help shape the policy of the incoming leaders and stamp the civilian oversight of the military on the top commanders right from the onset.