The former Chief of Defence Staff and the two other service chiefs, who were retired from Service by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday, will each go home with one bulletproof SUV and one Prado Jeep, or an equivalent vehicle as a backup.
These vehicles are to be maintained by the respective Services and replaced every four years.
According to the new Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service (HTACOS) 2024, signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu — a copy of which was obtained by Sunday LEADERSHIP — the retired officers will also receive $20,000 per year for medical expenses.
The document, marked ‘Restricted’, also outlines the benefits due to retired generals and other senior officers of the Armed Forces upon leaving service.
President Bola Tinubu yesterday removed the service chiefs and appointed their replacements.
The statement announcing their removal, signed by Sunday Dare, the special adviser to the president on media and public communication, said the action was taken to further the federal government’s efforts to strengthen the national security architecture.
The President appointed former Army Chief, General Olufemi Oluyede, as the new Chief of Defence Staff, replacing General Christopher Musa. The new Chief of Army Staff is Major-General W. Shaibu, Air Vice Marshal S. K. Aneke becomes Chief of Air Staff, while Rear Admiral I. Abbas is the new Chief of Naval Staff.
The Chief of Defence Intelligence, Major-General E. A. P. Undiendeye, retains his position.
Those sacked alongside General Musa are the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar.
Each of the service chiefs is also entitled to five domestic workers, one security officer, nine standard guards, three service drivers, firearms, and other benefits.
“The following benefits shall be the entitlements of the CDS and Service Chiefs: one bulletproof SUV or equivalent vehicle, to be maintained by the Service and replaced every four years; one Prado Jeep or equivalent backup vehicle; retention of all military uniforms and accoutrements to be worn for appropriate ceremonies; five domestic aides (2 x Service cooks, 2 x stewards, and 1 x civilian gardener); one Aide-de-Camp/Security Officer; one Special Assistant (Lt/Capt or equivalent) or one personal assistant (WO or equivalent); standard guard (9 soldiers); three Service drivers; one Service orderly; escorts (to be provided by appropriate military units/formations as the need arises); retention of personal firearms (to be retrieved by the relevant Service upon the officer’s demise); and free medical cover in Nigeria and abroad.”
According to the document, Lieutenant-Generals and equivalents are entitled to the following: one Toyota Hilux vehicle and one Toyota Land Cruiser or equivalent Jeep of the same value; two cooks, two stewards, four residential guards, one Service orderly, two Service drivers, and free medical care in Nigeria and abroad up to the value of $20,000 per year.
Furthermore, retiring Major-Generals, Brigadier-Generals, or their equivalents will be entitled to: one Toyota Land Cruiser or equivalent vehicle, one cook, one steward, two residential guards, one Service orderly, one Service driver, and free medical cover in Nigeria and abroad up to $15,000 per annum.
Similarly, officers of one-star rank are to enjoy the following: one Toyota Camry or equivalent vehicle, one Service driver, two residential guards, one Service orderly, and free medical cover in Nigeria and abroad up to $10,000 per annum.
Federal Government to Spend More on Other Retiring Generals
Yesterday’s retirement of the service chiefs is expected to trigger voluntary and forced retirements within the military hierarchy, as some senior generals who are contemporaries of the outgoing service chiefs may have to proceed on retirement in line with military tradition.
The new service chiefs, who are members of Course 40 and 41 of the Nigerian Defence Academy, replace their predecessors from Course 39, including the new Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede.
By this appointment, generals from Courses 39, 40, and some from Course 41 across the Services will have to retire, as they are not expected to salute their juniors who have now been elevated above them.
LEADERSHIP Weekend earlier reported that members of Course 39 remain in active service, occupying strategic positions such as Principal Staff Officers (PSOs) at Service Headquarters and Commanders of tri-Service institutions.
Military sources, who initially said more than 50 such generals would have to voluntarily exit the Service to allow the new Service Chiefs to exercise effective control, now say the number could exceed that, since the new Chief of Army Staff is from Course 41.
“We will have more than 60 generals retiring. The new Army Chief is from Course 41. Those in service from Course 39 and even some from 41 will want to retire,” the source said.
With the retirement packages outlined above, the Federal Government will have to provide substantial funds to settle the retirees.
Senate May Confirm Nominations This Week
The Senate joint committee on Defence, Army and Navy is expected to commence the screening exercise of the newly-appointed service chiefs.
It is believed that the president would have written to the Senate at the weekend to intimate its leadership about the fresh appointments.
Their screening is expected to be done behind closed doors.
Expectedly, the nominees are expected to promise to tackle insecurity in the country.
Service Chiefs’ Change Strategic for Tinubu – Obono-Obla
Meanwhile, a former Chairman of the Special Presidential Investigative Panel on Recovery of Public Property (SPIP), Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, has described President Tinubu’s reshuffle of service chiefs as a strategic realignment aimed at entrenching deeper reforms as he moves towards completing his first four-year term.
The former special aassistant to the late ex-President Muhammadu Buhari on prosecution added that the change demonstrates a canny mastery of the push and pull of the country’s centripetal and centrifugal forces.
Obono-Obla said on Sunday that: “It reflects how he (Tinubu) has been able to navigate and manoeuvre through the complexities of governance. After settling into office, he engaged in midterm rumination — pondering and reflecting on the imperative of assembling a new team within the Armed Forces and security apparatuses.”
Obono-Obla explained that the move signals a strategic realignment and that it is time to assess performance in the military and security sectors.
“The shake-up and introduction of a new team — reinvigorated and with a fresh lease of life — aims to ensure that the security challenges which have grappled and confronted the country are dealt with decisively, using new gusto, fresh strategies, and dynamic trajectories.
“Mr President has also subtly used this opportunity to manoeuvre through the nuances and subtleties of the country’s fault lines, which have long dogged its progress.
In doing so, he has sought to balance geopolitical sensibilities and touch all potential flashpoints where cries of political marginalisation often emerge,” he said.
Islamic cleric Sheikh Gumi has described the kidnapping of schoolchildren as a “lesser evil” compared to killing soldiers, insisting that Nigeria must negotiate with bandits to prevent greater bloodshed.
Speaking in an interview with the BBC shared on Tuesday, Gumi said that while the abduction of minors is “evil,” it remains less grievous than murder — particularly in situations where kidnapped children are eventually released unharmed.
“Saying that kidnapping children is a lesser evil than killing your soldiers, definitely is lesser. Killing is worse than, but they are all evil. It’s just a lesser evil. Not all evils are of the same power.
He cited previous incidents, including the mass abduction in Kebbi State, arguing that the victims were freed without fatalities.
“So it’s a lesser evil than, like, what happened in Kebbi. They abducted children, and they were released. They didn’t kill them.”
The remarks come as more than 315 people — including 303 students and 12 teachers — were abducted in Niger State.
On 7 December, the Federal Government announced the release of 100 students, while an earlier report confirmed the escape of 50 others just days after the kidnapping.
“It’s an evil, and we pray that they escape”, Gumi responded briefly when asked what he would say to their parents.
Gumi also defended his long-held stance that negotiating with bandits is unavoidable, describing engagement with bandits and other non-state actors as a practical strategy to secure peace and save lives, and noting that “everybody negotiates with bandits.”
“That word [‘we don’t negotiate’], I don’t know where they got it from. It’s not in the Bible. It’s not in the Quran.
“In fact, it’s not even in practice. Everybody’s negotiating with outlaws, non-state actors, everybody. So who got it, and where did they get that knowledge from? We negotiate for peace and our strategic interests. If negotiation will bring stoppage to bloodshed, we will do it.”
The cleric stressed that his past engagements with bandits were not carried out secretly or independently.
“I go there with the authorities. I don’t go there alone. And I go there with the press,” he said.
Gumi revealed that his last direct meetings with bandit groups were in 2021, saying he made marathon efforts to bring various factions together, but the federal government at the time “was not keen” on the initiative.
He said once the groups were officially designated as terrorists, he completely withdrew from any contact.
Turning to the wider security situation, the former army captain argued that Nigeria’s military cannot shoulder the burden alone.
“We need a robust army… but even the military is saying our role in this civil unrest, in this criminality, is 95% kinetic. The rest is the government, the politics, and the locals. The military cannot do everything.”
Gumi also maintained that most bandits are Fulani herdsmen, not urban Fulani, urging a clear distinction between the two. He described their struggle as rooted in survival and cattle rearing:
“They are fighting an existential war… Their life revolves around cattle. In fact, they inherit them. They’ll tell you, ‘This cow I inherited from my grandfather.’ They are mostly Fulani herdsmen, not the Fulani town, because you have to differentiate between the two.”
Gumi’s remarks underscore the delicate balance between dialogue and enforcement in addressing Nigeria’s persistent insecurity, particularly in the northwest, where kidnappings, bandit raids, and violence continue to disrupt communities.
Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has come under fire after she intervened while Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, broke into a song during his speech at the 10th coronation anniversary of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi.
In a video that went viral on Monday, Adeleke was seen stepping up to the podium on Sunday to honour the monarch and congratulate the First Lady on her new chieftaincy title, Yeye Asiwaju Gbogbo Ile Oodua.
Instead of delivering his address immediately, the governor, well-known for his lively and musical public style, launched into a brief chant, prompting amusement from sections of the crowd.
The First Lady, who had moments earlier received her traditional title from the Ooni, walked towards the podium, gestured lightly to the governor and whispered to him to proceed with his statement.
This has, however, since drawn mixed reactions from Nigerians online.
Reacting, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on the Bureau of Social Services, Akintunde Bello, said Mrs Tinubu should be cautioned.
Also, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, Dele Momodu, in a post on his Instagram handle on Monday, condemned the First Lady’s action, describing it as bullying.
Momodu said the president’s wife openly disgraced and embarrassed Adeleke before a global audience.
He said, “Remi Tinubu is not an elected officer of the government and has no role assigned to her in the constitution of the Federal Republic.
“It is totally repugnant to openly disgrace, insult and bully the Chief Executive of Osun State before a global audience, including his wife. She went too far.”
An X user, Hon. Rilwan, tweeting as #rilwan_ola01 wrote, “Remi Tinubu came to Osun to undermine the power of legitimate government in front of various dignitaries. I am really angry right now.”
However, despite the backlashes, some netizens believe that Tinubu’s action is justified.
Dayo Fashola, an aide to the ex-Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, on her verified Facebook handle, said the conversation between the duo was lighthearted.
Fashola had explained that what transpired between Oluremi Tinubu and Adeleke was “light‑hearted and isn’t as serious as people are making it seem.”
She wrote, “Even Her Excellency craved the indulgence of all her distinguished guests to skip protocol while delivering her own speech, as many needed to return to their respective destinations in good time. Keeping in mind that helicopter visibility at night is near zero.”
A Facebook user, Oyetunji Ayoade, while defending Tinubu’s action, wrote, “The highest respect the first lady can give to Osun people is to stand up and inform him by herself and she did.”
The Economic Community of West African States has declared a state of emergency across the region.
The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Touray, made the announcement on Tuesday during the 55th Session of the Mediation and Security Council at the ministerial level in Abuja.
Touray said recent developments underline the “imperative of serious introspection on the future of our democracy and the urgent need to invest in the security of our community.”
Addressing ministers, diplomats and senior officials, Touray gave a sobering assessment of West Africa’s political climate, citing multiple incidents as evidence of a rapidly deteriorating security environment.
He noted that ECOWAS member states currently face an average rating of “high risk,” based on country-by-country analyses contained in documents before the ministers.
“Events of the last few weeks have shown the imperative of serious introspection on the future of our democracy and the urgent need to invest in the security of our community.
“As you would have seen in the memoranda before you, the country-by-country analyses of our member states show different risk levels across our community, from high to medium, with an average of high risk, thereby demanding immediate and concerted action.
“The risk factors are the persistence of military interventions (Guinea-Bissau and the Republic of Benin just days ago); non-compliance with transition norms in Guinea, where we face a military leader turning civilian; growing erosion of electoral inclusivity across multiple states; expanding influence of terrorists, armed groups and criminal networks; and increasing geopolitical pressures affecting member states’ diplomacy and cohesion,” he explained.
Among the most troubling trends, Touray emphasised that “elections have become a major trigger of instability in our community.”
He also cited recent attempted coups and ongoing discussions with the Alliance of Sahel States, stressing the urgent need for a coordinated regional response to terrorism and cross-border criminal activity.
Declaring the situation unprecedented, he warned, “Faced with this situation, Excellencies, it is safe to declare that our community is in a state of emergency.”
Touray called for more frequent meetings of the Mediation and Security Council over the next year, insisting ECOWAS must “pool our resources to confront the threats of terrorism and banditry, which operate without respect for territorial boundaries.”
He outlined priority areas requiring continuous ministerial oversight, including the crisis in Guinea-Bissau, managing political transitions, addressing rising political exclusion, and safeguarding regional unity amid external pressures.
The ECOWAS Commission President also drew attention to worsening humanitarian conditions in West Africa, referencing recent UNHCR data. He said that “as of October 2025, approximately 7.6 million individuals are forcibly displaced across the region,” including more than 6.5 million internally displaced persons.
According to the data, the largest displaced populations are in Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali, while Niger, Mali, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire and Togo host the highest numbers of asylum seekers.
Touray stressed, “We must therefore take decisions and actions that will reverse this trend.”
Despite the challenges, he reaffirmed ECOWAS’s commitment to its citizens.
“Let me assure our community citizens that we will not rest on our oars. We will continue to work harder to promote a peaceful, stable and stronger region for the overall benefit of Community citizens,” he said.
He urged member states to uphold constitutional norms and maintain unity: “Let us all remain committed to preserving regional unity, advancing peace and upholding the Community’s Constitutional Convergence Principles.”
Touray also welcomed new ministerial representatives attending the session for the first time.
“May I extend a warm welcome to the new Ministers of Defence of Nigeria, Rtd. General Christopher Musa, and Foreign Affairs of Cabo Verde, José Luis Livramento, who are joining today for the first time,” he said.
In his remarks, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chair of the Council of Ministers, Timothy Kabba, called for decisive action to protect democratic governance amid worsening political instability.
Kabba highlighted the fragile state of democracy in West Africa, pointing to the recent political crises in Guinea-Bissau and Benin.
“The recent coup in Guinea-Bissau and the attempted coup in the Benin Republic are sobering reminders of the fragility of our democratic gains,” Kabba said.
He detailed Sierra Leone’s diplomatic efforts, noting that he led a high-level delegation to Guinea-Bissau on December 1, 2025, to engage with military leaders and political stakeholders.
“His Excellency’s engagement helped ease tensions and opened the door for continued dialogue under ECOWAS’s guidance.
“These actions reflect our collective position. ECOWAS cannot and will not accept this development. They undermine everything our community stands for and threaten the peace and security of our citizens,” he said.
Kabba stressed the need for concrete outcomes from the summit.
“The discussions we have today must move beyond just reaffirming principles. They must generate decisions that offer real hope and strengthen the credibility of our institutions.
“Our people no longer have patience for commitments that remain unfulfilled. They expect us to confront these challenges with seriousness, unity and purpose,” he added.
The meeting of the Mediation and Security Council precedes the gathering of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, who are expected to deliberate on the Council’s recommendations amid mounting pressure to restore stability in the troubled region.
PUNCH Online reports that West Africa is facing escalating political instability and security challenges, with several ECOWAS member states experiencing coups, attempted coups, and fragile political transitions.
Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso remain under military-led administrations, while Guinea-Bissau recently joined this group following a military intervention. On Sunday, an attempted coup in the Benin Republic was foiled, further highlighting the fragility of democratic governance across the region.
These events underscore the erosion of constitutional norms, growing electoral tensions, and the rising influence of armed groups and criminal networks that threaten regional stability.
