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.
Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has called for stronger collaboration between his administration and the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria to improve healthcare delivery and tackle the circulation of counterfeit drugs.
Soludo made the call on Tuesday while declaring open the 99th Annual National Conference of the PSN at the International Convention Centre, Awka.
Welcoming delegates to the state, the governor described Anambra as “Nigeria’s pharmaceutical headquarters”.
The conference, tagged “Ijele 2026”, has the theme, ‘One health, One pharmacy: Bridging knowledge, practice and policy for national impact’.
Soludo said pharmacists played a vital role in building a healthy and productive society, urging the professional body to work with the state government to strengthen regulation and ensure safe pharmaceutical practices.
He said, “We urge pharmacists to join hands with the state government in cracking down on fake and counterfeit drugs. We also call on the leadership to police members’ operations and eliminate fake shops posing as registered pharmacies.
“Human capital remains Anambra’s greatest asset. Our major strides in public education, where reforms and free schooling from kindergarten to secondary level have slashed the out-of-school children rate to 0.25 percent, the lowest in the country.”
The governor also highlighted his administration’s efforts to improve healthcare delivery, including the revamp of primary healthcare centres and a free antenatal care programme.
He said the programme had served more than 250,000 pregnant women and supported over 900 free caesarean section deliveries.
Soludo added that work was ongoing on a dedicated pharmaceutical hub in Oba, alongside a Coordinated Wholesale Centre expected to be completed early next year.
Earlier, the President of the PSN, Ayuba Ibrahim, recalled his previous pledge to host the society’s flagship national conference in Anambra.
Ibrahim also noted that his earlier prediction of Soludo’s electoral victory had materialised, while expressing appreciation to the governor for his support for the pharmacy profession.
The society later presented an excellence award to Soludo in recognition of his support for pharmacy practice in Anambra and beyond.
The pharmaceutical sector plays a critical role in Nigeria’s healthcare system, particularly in the production, distribution and dispensing of medicines.
However, the circulation of fake and substandard drugs, unlicensed medicine outlets and poor regulatory compliance remain concerns for public health
The Pharmacists Council of Nigeria regulates the training and practice of pharmacists, as well as the registration of pharmacy premises, while the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control oversees the regulation of medicines and other regulated products.
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has made history as the first Muslim elected to the United States Senate after defeating former Republican Representative Mike Rogers in Michigan’s closely watched midterm election.
El-Sayed’s victory, projected by US media on Tuesday, secured the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters and marked a milestone for Muslim representation in American politics.
According to Anadolu Agency, the 42-year-old Egyptian-American former public health official will assume office when the new Congress convenes in January.
His victory followed a competitive Democratic primary in August, in which he defeated Representative Haley Stevens before securing his party’s ticket for the general election.
El-Sayed’s campaign attracted support from prominent progressive politicians, including Senator Bernie Sanders, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Michigan Representative Rashida Tlaib.
He campaigned on expanding access to healthcare through Medicare for All, reducing housing costs, limiting the influence of wealthy donors in politics and improving economic opportunities for working families.
His position on US support for Israel also featured prominently during the campaign.
El-Sayed criticised American military assistance to Israel, described its military operations in Gaza as genocide and called for an end to unconditional US military support.
The issue generated divisions within the Democratic Party, particularly after Stevens, whom he defeated in the primary, endorsed Rogers two days before the general election.
Stevens said her decision was informed by concerns about El-Sayed’s campaign rhetoric and political associations, drawing criticism from some Democrats.
El-Sayed rejected allegations linking him to extremism, arguing that the attacks were an attempt to divert attention from the economic challenges facing Americans.
Born in Rochester Hills, Michigan, to Egyptian immigrant parents, El-Sayed studied medicine and public health before venturing into politics.
He graduated from the University of Michigan in 2007 and obtained a doctorate in public health from the University of Oxford in 2011 as a Rhodes Scholar.
He later earned his medical degree from Columbia University in 2014.
In 2015, he was appointed health director for Detroit, where he oversaw efforts to rebuild the city’s public health services following its financial crisis. He held the position until 2017.
He contested the Michigan governorship in 2018 but lost the Democratic primary to Gretchen Whitmer.
Between 2023 and 2025, he served as director of the Wayne County Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services.
His election marks a new chapter in Muslim political representation in the United States. Although Muslim Americans have previously served in the House of Representatives, none had been elected to the Senate before his victory.
Keith Ellison became the first Muslim elected to Congress in 2006, while Tlaib and Ilhan Omar made history in 2018 as the first Muslim women elected to the House of Representatives.
United States President Donald Trump has rejected suggestions that his leadership and policies contributed to Republican losses in the midterm elections, instead blaming the party’s candidates for failing to mobilise voters.
The election results, which saw Democrats win control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate on Tuesday, have raised questions about Trump’s political standing and the direction of his administration for the remainder of his term.
While members of both parties viewed the outcome as a rejection of Trump’s record in office, the President dismissed the suggestion that the results represented a setback for him.
“But I don’t view it as a hit on me,” Trump told Fox News in a live phone interview.
“We’ve had the greatest two years in the history of the presidency in terms of the economy, in terms of all the things that we’ve done.”
Trump argued that the losses were largely caused by the performance of individual Republican candidates rather than his administration’s policies, including the war in Iran and tariffs that have contributed to rising prices.
He also blamed what he described as favourable media coverage of Democratic candidates, particularly on Fox News, saying the election outcome came as only a “little surprise”.
“I thought they’d do better,” he said, referring to Republican candidates.
He later attributed the outcome to a “mood in the air”, while maintaining that his administration’s policy agenda would continue despite the Democrats’ gains in Congress.
The election followed weeks of campaigning by Trump, who travelled to Republican-leaning states to rally support for candidates, urging voters to “pretend I’m on the ballot”.
However, the strategy failed to deliver the expected results, with Trump insisting that the candidates did not do enough to attract voters.
“They just didn’t inspire the people to get out and vote,” he told Fox News.
“And I wasn’t on the ballot. If I was on the ballot, they would have got out.”
Several of the defeated candidates, including Darline Graham in South Carolina, Ken Paxton in Texas, Michael Whatley in North Carolina and Mike Collins in Georgia, had received Trump’s endorsement.
Some of the endorsements had also been made against the wishes of other Republican leaders.
Trump, however, did not acknowledge his role in selecting the candidates as he criticised their performances.
“I had no choice,” he said, defending his decision to support Paxton over incumbent Senator John Cornyn in Texas.
“When it wasn’t fashionable, he kissed my ass.”
In a post on his Truth Social platform shortly before midnight, Trump indicated that he would publicly analyse the reasons behind the party’s losses.
“I’m going to become a Political Pundit, both good and bad, on the reasons these Candidates won and lost!” he wrote.
He subsequently criticised Texas Governor Greg Abbott, describing him as a “Republican in name only” and accusing him of returning to an unsuccessful political strategy.
“He went back to his original formula, and it wasn’t pretty!” Trump wrote.
However, in an interview with Politico around the same period, the President said he was not interested in blaming anyone for the outcome.
“I just want to say, you know, it was a very interesting period of time. I watched with great interest, learned from it.”
Trump also expressed willingness to work with Democrats, who will now have greater influence over legislative decisions in Washington.
He said he had already spoken with some Democratic politicians, although he did not identify them.
“You know, I have a lot of friends that are Democrats. Believe it or not, I’ve already spoken to some of them,” he said.
The President spoke about finding areas of agreement with the opposition party, although similar promises of bipartisan cooperation following Republican losses in the 2018 midterm elections did not produce significant results.
Meanwhile, Trump dismissed suggestions that he regretted his decision to launch the war in Iran, an issue some Republicans have identified as contributing to the party’s poor electoral performance.
“I don’t think about it. I did the right thing,” he told The Wall Street Journal when asked whether he regretted the military action.
