President Bola Tinubu has appointed Major General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede as the acting Chief of Army Staff (COAS).
The announcement was made on Wednesday, October 30, by Bayo Onanuga, the president’s special adviser on Information and Strategy.
According to the statement, Oluyede will serve as COAS until the return of the substantive Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja, who is currently ill and receiving treatment abroad.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, has appointed Major General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede as the acting Chief of Army Staff (COAS),” the statement read.
Oluyede will assume the role pending the return of the indisposed Lt. General Lagbaja. Prior to this appointment, he served as the 56th Commander of the elite Infantry Corps of the Nigerian Army, based in Jaji, Kaduna.
At 56 years old, Oluyede and Lagbaja are course mates from the 39th Regular Course. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1992, following his training in 1987, and rose to the rank of Major-General in September 2020.
Throughout his career, Oluyede has held various command positions, including Platoon Commander and Adjutant at the 65 Battalion, Company Commander at the 177 Guards Battalion, Staff Officer for the Guards Brigade, and Commandant of the Amphibious Training School. He is married and has three children.
