Copyright bizwatchnigeria
Between 2015 and 2023, Nigeria’s Armed Forces witnessed the retirement of more than 500 senior military officers across the Army, Navy, and Air Force following successive changes in service leadership under former President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Tinubu. The large-scale retirements, which affected officers from the ranks of Major-General, Brigadier-General, Rear Admiral, and Air Vice Marshal, followed the long-standing military tradition that compels officers senior to newly appointed service chiefs to exit the force. According to official sources, the policy maintains discipline, order, and hierarchy within the military structure. Although media estimates put the figure at just over 500, internal sources within the Defence Headquarters suggest that the actual number could be closer to 900. Buhari’s Tenure and the First Waves of Exit In July 2015, shortly after taking office, Buhari appointed new service chiefs — Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (Army), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar (Air Force), and Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Navy). That reshuffle led to the retirement of more than 120 senior officers across the three services. A second wave followed in 2021 when Buhari again changed the military hierarchy, bringing in Air Marshal Isiaka Amao, the late Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, and Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo. The change forced about 220 officers to retire, including 123 Army generals. After Attahiru’s death in a plane crash later that year, the appointment of Gen. Farouk Yahaya as Chief of Army Staff resulted in another round of forced retirements involving more than 20 generals from Courses 35 and 36. Tinubu’s Administration Continues the Cycle President Tinubu’s assumption of office in May 2023 also came with major changes. Within his first month, he appointed Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja (Army), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar (Air Force), and Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla (Navy) as new service chiefs, prompting another mass disengagement — 51 Army generals, 49 Air Force officers, and 17 naval officers were retired. Just recently, Tinubu again restructured the top defence hierarchy, naming Gen. Olufemi Oluyede as Chief of Defence Staff, Maj. Gen. Waidi Shaibu as Chief of Army Staff, Air Vice Marshal Sunday Aneke as Chief of Air Staff, and Rear Admiral Idi Abbas as Chief of Naval Staff. Analysts project another 60 senior officers may be affected. Critics and Analysts React Retired Gen. Ishola Williams criticised the repetitive mass retirements, calling it a “carryover from military-era traditions.” He argued that Nigeria must adopt a structured promotion and succession system to reduce abrupt dismissals. Another retired officer, Gen. Aliyu Momoh, applauded Tinubu’s reshuffle but urged the President to tackle the “cabals” within the military structure, claiming they limit progress in national security. Meanwhile, Retired Group Captain Sadique Shehu described the frequent purge as “unsustainable,” noting that Nigeria had nearly as many generals as the United States despite having a much smaller military. He attributed this to poor manpower planning and excessive promotions influenced by politics. “We are producing too many generals for too few soldiers,” he stated. Military observers continue to debate whether reforming the system could balance respect for hierarchy with the need to retain experience within the armed forces.
