The Joint Committee on Army and Defence in the House of Representatives has begun screening Olufemi Oluyede, the acting Chief of Army Staff (COAS).
On Tuesday, President Bola Tinubu wrote to the Senate and the House of Representatives, urging that Oluyede be confirmed as the substantive COAS.
Tinubu appointed Oluyede as acting COAS on October 30, following the lengthy illness of Taoreed Lagbaja, the former army chief.
On November 5, Lagbaja died from an unexplained illness. The president then elevated Oluyede to the rank of lieutenant general.
Before his assignment, Oluyede was the 56th commander of the Nigerian Army’s infantry corps in Kaduna State.
He was promoted to major general in September 2020 after being commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1992.
Oluyede and Lagbaja were classmates and participants of the 39th regular course.
Oluyede addressed the lawmakers, stating that he has been serving the nation for over 30 years.
He said:
“My exposure to national security issues in junior, middle and senior career has prepared me adequately for the assignment.”
“In the past five years, I have served at the senior and management level in the Nigerian Army and I have somewhat been part of the running of the service in its entirety, thus I cannot completely dissolve myself from the successes and setbacks of our great army.
“I see my nomination as a privilege and opportunity to be in the driver’s seat to make positive changes to the Nigerian Army to enable it to fulfil its constitutional responsibility.”
The chairman of the defence committee, Babajimi Benson, stated that the COAS must lead with honesty and prioritise troop welfare.
Following Oluyede’s address, the parliamentarians convened an executive session.
Christopher Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff, and other senior military commanders followed Oluyede to the screening exercise.