Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede has officially taken command of the Nigerian Army as its 24th Chief of Army Staff. The symbolic lowering and hoisting of the command flag at Army Headquarters marked the beginning of his tenure. This ceremony came after the Senate and House of Representatives confirmed his appointment ¹.
Oluyede was appointed by President Bola Tinubu on October 30, initially in an acting capacity, following the death of his predecessor, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja. The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, handed him the insignia of office on November 1 in a ceremony that followed the Armed Forces Act.
Before his appointment, Oluyede served as the 56th Commander of the elite Infantry Corps of the Nigerian Army, based in Jaji, Kaduna. Interestingly, Oluyede and his predecessor, Lagbaja, were coursemates and members of the 39th Regular Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy.
Oluyede has had a distinguished military career, rising from a second lieutenant in 1992 to Major General in September 2020. His experience spans various command and staff roles across Nigeria and international deployments.
