Breaking: Tinubu appoints Major General Oluyede as acting Chief of Army Staff

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Major General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede as the Acting Chief of Army Staff (COAS).

Oluyede steps into the role temporarily, pending the return of the current Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja, who is indisposed.

Prior to this appointment, Oluyede was the 56th Commander of the elite Infantry Corps of the Nigerian Army, stationed in Jaji, Kaduna.

A statement from Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, issued on Wednesday, October 30, noted that both Oluyede and Lagbaja are coursemates from the Nigerian Defence Academy’s 39th Regular Course.

Commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1992 (retroactively effective from 1987), Oluyede achieved the rank of Major-General in September 2020.

His career includes various command roles, such as Platoon Commander and Adjutant of 65 Battalion, Company Commander of 177 Guards Battalion, Staff Officer at Guards Brigade, and Commandant of the Amphibious Training School.

Oluyede has served in several key operations, including the ECOMOG mission in Liberia, Operation HARMONY IV in Bakassi, and Operation HADIN KAI in the Northeast, where he led the 27 Task Force Brigade.

He has earned numerous honors, including the Corps Medal of Honour, the Grand Service Star, the Field Command Medal, and the prestigious Chief of Army Staff Commendation Award.

Oluyede is also recognized with Passing the Staff Course and Membership in the National Institute.

Oluyede is married and has three children.