THE Presidency has explained why President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved major changes in Nigeria’s military hierarchy, including the removal of the Chief of Defence Staff and the appointment of new service chiefs.
The clarification comes amid public speculation linking the shake-up to recent rumours of a coup attempt within the military.
The Presidency, however, insists that the decision was purely strategic and aimed at strengthening national security operations.
Last Friday, the President announced the appointment of General Olufemi Oluyede as the new Chief of Defence Staff, replacing General Christopher Gwabin Musa. Also appointed were Major-General W. Shaibu as Chief of Army Staff, Air Vice Marshal S.K. Aneke as Chief of Air Staff, and Rear Admiral I. Abbas as Chief of Naval Staff.
The Chief of Defence Intelligence, Major-General E.A.P. Undiendeye, retained his position.
The announcement was contained in a statement issued by Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, who said the changes take “immediate effect.”
However, the shake-up came just days after an online publication alleged that some military officers had plotted to overthrow President Tinubu and that several officers were arrested in connection with the matter, a claim the Defence Headquarters vehemently denied.
Addressing the controversy, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said there was no connection between the military restructuring and the rumoured coup attempt.
“Service chiefs can be hired and fired by the President. He is the Commander-in-Chief. He has the power to hire and fire,” Onanuga told this newspaper.
Similarly, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Tope Ajayi, dismissed claims that the changes were reactionary.
“This is not a reaction to any rumour of coups. He is exercising his powers. The service chiefs have done two years,” Ajayi said.
Ajayi explained that the President wants “new direction, vision, vigour and energy” injected into ongoing counter-insurgency, anti-banditry, anti-secession, and anti-kidnapping operations nationwide.
Earlier, the Defence Headquarters had described the alleged coup plot as “false and intended to cause unnecessary tension.”
“It explained that detained officers referenced in the viral report were being investigated for “issues of indiscipline,” not subversion.
Ajayi further stated that Nigeria’s prolonged security challenges have consumed a significant share of national budgets over the past 15 years.
“The President wants to deal with this matter once and for all so that the money going into defence expenditure will be better deployed for critical sectors like power, roads, education, healthcare, and broadband,” he added.
Meanwhile, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has asked the Presidency to provide a clearer explanation, noting the rapid turnover in military leadership could affect internal stability.
The ADC said the scale and timing of the shake-up could fuel more public speculation instead of quelling it.
On social media, many Nigerians linked the service chiefs’ removal to the alleged coup rumour, while others insisted that periodic restructuring is normal in military command cycles.
For now, the Presidency maintains that the decision was constitutional, strategic, and necessary.