Newly appointed Chief of Army Staff: Retirement of Army Generals

Reports of compulsory retirement of Senior military officers sake of di appointment of di new Chief of Army Staff Major General Farouk Yahaya by President Muhammadu Buhari no be new tin for Nigerian Army, sabi pipo don tok.

Apart from say di procedure for retirement also dey inside di Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service and di Armed forces Act of di Nigerian Army, dem add.

Nigeria President Buhari on Thursday appoint Major General Farouk Yahaya wey be from Course 37 of di Nigerian Army as di new Chief of Army Staff.

Major General Yahaya appointment come days afta di former Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant-General Ibrahim Attahiru and 10 odas die for military plane crash for Kaduna - dem bin dey on official duty from Abuja to Kaduna.

Major General Yahaya before im appointment be di General Officer Commanding 1 Division of di Nigerian Army and di present Theatre Commander of di Counter Terrorism Counter Insurgency military outfit for di North East, with code name Operation Hadin Kai.

E no clear why di President jump senior Army Generals go appoint di new COAS from Course 37 but local tori pipo dey report say e fit be because di President bin dey "weigh di thnic and religion factors before e name di new COAS.

As e be so according to di Armed forces Act, di appointment of Yahaya go lead to di compulsory retirement of some senior Generals wey dey Course 35 and 36.

'Dis no be new tin'

"Dis no be di first time dis kain tin dey happun. And every soldier from di day wey bin enta Defence Academy know say dis na normal tin," Sani Kusheka Usman, wey be former toktok person for army tell BBC.

Usman explain say di Nigerian Army get dia own way of operation wey be say no be all di senior officers go retire.

According to Usman, "di appointment of Major General Yahaya go affect some senior Generals but e no mean say those senior General go must retire.

"Di truth be say Yahaya na from Course 37 and Generals wey dey Course 35, 36 and even some 37 go give chance for am to occupy di position, but dem fit still post some of those Generals to lead oda formations and agencies wey be say dem no go dey answerable to di Chief of Army staff.

"Apart from say e also no good make we dey play politics wit pesin wey dem appoint to head any security agency. Di most important question na to ask if di pesin wey di President chose go fit deliver di assignment?.

"Any officer wey don reach di level of General dey qualified to be Chief of Army Staff but our Constitution give di President power to look well well before im select di right person wey im feel say go fit do di work well. And I fit tell you say Major General Yahaya get better experience to be COAS."

Though di Defence Headquarters never issue any statement on dis matter tori be say over 20 Generals go dey affected by di appointment of Farouk Yahaya as di new Chief of Army Staff.

Wen President Buhari appoint di present service chiefs for January, about 300 generals from di three services of di Nigeria Army, Airforce and Navy wey be members of courses 34 and 35 go compulsory retirement.