Reps set to screen newly appointed service chiefs

The House of Representatives is set to screen and possibly confirm President Bola Tinubu’s newly appointed service chiefs during plenary today (Wednesday).

Mr Tinubu, in a letter read on the floor by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, urged lawmakers to accord “expeditious consideration” to the nominees, citing the urgency of consolidating national security efforts amid the country’s evolving security threats.

The nominees are Chief of Defence Staff, Olufemi Oluyede, a general; Chief of Army Staff, Waidi Shaibu, a major general; Chief of Air Staff, Sunday Aneke, an air vice marshal; and Chief of Naval Staff, Idi Abbas, a rear admiral.

Mr Tajudeen referred the request to a committee that will conduct the screening exercise immediately after Wednesday’s plenary session.

According to the speaker, the committee will be chaired by the Chairperson of the House Committee on Defence, while the Chairpersons and Deputy Chairperson sof the Committees on Army, Navy, and Air Force will serve as members.

“In view of the urgency of this assignment, I align with the concurrent exercise being undertaken by the Senate this morning,” Mr Tajudeen said.

“The committee is directed to commence the screening immediately after today’s plenary sitting..

The House enjoins the committee to ensure a thorough and expeditious exercise consistent with the legislative practice and the constitutional provisions guiding such confirmations.”

Although the Senate screens and confirms the president’s appointments, the Nigerian laws also mandate the House of Representatives to screen service chiefs.

The move to screen the military appointments comes barely 72 hours after Mr Tinubu held a closed-door meeting with the new service chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja following last Friday’s sweeping shake-up in the armed forces.

The president retained Emmanuel Undiendeye, a major-general, as the chief of defence intelligence.

During Monday’s meeting, the president reportedly discussed the nation’s mounting security challenges, including insurgency in the North-east, banditry in the North-west, separatist agitation in the South-east, and rising cases of oil theft in the Niger Delta.

In a statement released earlier by the presidency, the shake-up was described as part of President Tinubu’s broader effort to “strengthen the national security architecture” and reposition the military for more effective internal and external operations.

The president also paid tribute to the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa, a general, and other outgoing service chiefs.

He commended them for their “patriotic service and dedicated leadership” during a period of intense national security challenges.

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However, the timing of the reshuffle has stirred speculations across the polity. The changes followed widespread rumours of an alleged failed coup attempt, claims that an online publication linked to the detention of 16 senior military officers and the abrupt cancellation of the 2025 Independence Day parade on 1 October.

Although the Defence Headquarters swiftly dismissed the reports as “false and malicious,” insisting that the military remains loyal to the constitution and the Commander-in-Chief, public speculations have persisted, especially in the wake of the sudden leadership overhaul.

If confirmed, the new service chiefs will be expected to immediately assume command and implement the president’s directive to recalibrate Nigeria’s counter-insurgency and internal security operations.