The Army Council has approved the promotion of 105 senior officers to the ranks of major general and brigadier general respectively.

This is in a bid to strengthen leadership capacity and enhance ongoing military operations across the country.

The acting director of army public relations, Lt.-Col. Appolonia Anele, made this known in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

Ms Anele said that 28 brigadier generals were promoted to major generals, while 77 colonels were elevated to the rank of Brigadier General.

According to her, those promoted to major generals include Brig.-Gen. Ojogbane Adegbe of the Defence Intelligence Agency; Brig.-Gen. Samaila Uba, director Defence Information; and Brig.-Gen. R.E. Hedima, acting chief of Military Intelligence (Army).

“Others are Brig.-Gen. R.T. Utsaha, Deputy Director Defence Operations; and Brig.-Gen. A.M. Umar, Commandant Warrant Officers Academy.

“They also include Brig.-Gen. S. Sulaiman, Deputy Military Secretary; Brig.-Gen. I.O. Bassey, Director Army Operations Centre; Brig.-Gen. C.A. Ekeator of the Nigerian Army School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering; Brig.-Gen. S.Y. Yakasai, Acting Director Procurement, and Brig.-Gen. W.L. Nzidee of Army Logistics Department, among others.

“Brig.-Gen. Z.A. Saidu was promoted posthumously,” she said.

Ms Anele listed those promoted to Brigadier General as Colonels Y. Ibrahim; N.N. Gambo; A. Saidu; A. Ali; I. Waziri; M.M. Sani; A.A. Alkali; A.O. Ndah; I.B. Sheriff; K.R. Apata; and several others across formations and units nationwide.

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, congratulated the newly promoted officers and urged them to justify the confidence reposed in them through enhanced professionalism, leadership and commitment to duty.

Mr Shaibu charged them to provide bold, innovative and decisive solutions to Nigeria’s evolving security challenges, while maintaining absolute loyalty to the Constitution and the defence of the nation’s territorial integrity. 

(NAN)