Profile of the Service Chiefs appointed by Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu on Monday retired all service chiefs and appointed new ones.

The newly appointed officers are:

1. Maj. Gen. C.G Musa, Chief of Defence Staff
2. Maj. Gen. T. A Lagbaja, Chief of Army Staff
3. Rear Admirral Emmanuel A. Ogalla, Chief of Naval Staff
4. AVM H.B Abubakar, Chief of Air Staff
5. Maj. Gen. EPA Undiandeye Chief of Defense Intelligence
6. DIG Kayode Egbetokun, Acting Inspector-General of Police

Here are the profile the new appointees:

1. Maj. Gen. C.G Musa Chief of Defence Staff

Musa was who hails from Zangon Kataf in Kaduna State, was born on 25 December 1967 in Sokoto.

He is a member of the 38th Regular Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy and was commissioned on 21 September 1991 into the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps.

Musa was Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, in the North-east before his deployment as commander Infantry Corps, from where he was appointed as CDS.

He holds a Masters’s in Defence Studies from the National Defence University in Beijing, China.

Musa has held several command appointments during his military career and was at the thick of the fight against Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists for over a decade.

1. Gen. T. A Lagbaja Chief of Army Staff

Lagbaja, hails from Ilobu in Oṣun and is a member of the 39 regular courses of the Nigerian Defence Academy.

He holds a Bachelor’s in Geography from NDA Kaduna and a Master’s from U.S. Army War College.

Until his appointment as the COAS, Lagbaja was the chief of operation (Army) and had served as General Officer Commanding 1 Division, Kaduna, and 82 Division, Nigerian Army Enugu.

As GOC 1 Division in Kaduna, he led troops of Operation FOREST SANITY in confronting terrorists in Kaduna and Niger States.

Lagbaja had held command positions in several military operations, including Operation HARMONY IV in the Bakassi Peninsula, the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Operation ZAKI.

He was also part of the Internal Security Operation in Benue, Operation LAFIYA DOLE, Operation MESA/UDO KA, and Internal Security Operation in the South East.

1. Rear Admirral Emmanuel A. Ogalla, Chief of Naval Staff

Ogalla is from Enugu Ezike in Enugu State and is a member of 39 Regular Course of NDA. He was born in 1968.

Until his appointment, he was the Director of Lessons Learnt at the Naval Headquarters Department of Policy and Plans.

Mr Ogalla is a regular combatant and has held several command appointments and attended several courses both at home and abroad.

1. AVM H.B Abubakar, Chief of Air Staff

The new CAS, Mr Abubakar, was born on 11 September 1970 and hails from Shanono Local Government Area in Kano State.

He was enlisted into the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) as a member of 39 Regular Course of NDA and was commissioned Pilot Officer on 19 September 1992.

He was the Air Officer Commanding, Logistics Command until his new appointment and attended several courses.

Mr Abubakar holds a Bachelor of Science from the Nigerian Defence Academy Kaduna and Basic Flying Training Courses at the 301 Flying Training School Kaduna.

He also attended the National Defence Course at the Nasser Higher Military Academy, Cairo – Egypt, and holds a Master’s in International Affairs and Diplomacy from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

1. Gen. EPA Undiandeye Chief of Defense Intelligence

Undiandeye, hails from Bedia in Obudu Local Government Area of Cross River State.

Until his appointment, he was the Commandant of the Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peacekeeping Centre, Jaji, Kaduna State.

Mr Undiandeye was a member of the Troop Contributing Countries Working Group for developing the second edition of the United Nations Infantry Battalion Manual (UNIBAM) published in 2020 by the UN Office of military affairs.

He is of the Intelligence Corps of the Nigerian Army.

1. DIG Kayode Egbetokun, Acting Inspector-General of Police

Until his appointment, Mr Egbetokun, from Ogun State, was a deputy inspector general of police by rank. He led the police force’s Criminal Investigations Department in Abuja.

Mr Egbetokun is a former police commissioner in Kwara State and was an AIG in charge of Zone 7 Headquarters, Abuja.

He was born on 4th September 1964. He enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force as a Cadet ASP (Course 16) on 3 March 1990. Mr Egbetokun obtained a bachelor’s in Mathematics from the University of Lagos.

He also has a Master’s degree in Engineering Analysis and Business Administration from the same university.

Mr Egbetokun has a PhD in Peace and Security Studies from Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Kwara State. He attended the Global Conference on Chemical Security and Emerging Threats held in Lyon France in 2018 and trained in several professional courses.

He served as police Area Commander in Osogbo, Osun State and Gusau, Zamfara State. From 1999 to 2005, he was a former chief security officer to Mr Tinubu when the latter served as governor of Lagos State.

He served as the Commander of Rapid Response Squad, Lagos; Squadron Commander, Mopol 5, Benin, Benin City; Officer-in-Charge, Anti-Fraud Unit, FCT Command, Abuja; and Chief Superintendent of Police, Administration, Lagos State Command Headquarters, Ikeja.

Ifunanya Ikueze

Ifunanya Ikueze is an Engineer, Safety Professional, Writer, Investor, Entrepreneur and Educator.