President Bola Tinubu on Monday held a closed-door meeting with service chiefs at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, marking his first official engagement with them since the recent reshuffle of the military hierarchy.
According to the Presidency, the discussions focused on national security priorities and strategic defence coordination.
Those present at the meeting included the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Olufemi Oluyede; the Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Kelvin Aneke; the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Idi Abbas; the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Major General E.A.P. Undiendeye; and the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Waidi Shaibu.
Sunday Dare, the Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication to the President, confirmed the meeting in a post on his X account. He also listed the names and service numbers of the new military leaders.
The meeting follows last week’s military reshuffle, which saw General Christopher Musa replaced by Oluyede as Chief of Defence Staff, while Major General Undiendeye retained his position as Chief of Defence Intelligence.
Dare explained that the move was part of the Federal Government’s efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s national security architecture, adding that all appointments took immediate effect.
However, some critics have linked the reshuffle to an alleged coup attempt. The opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called on President Tinubu to provide a clear explanation for the changes.
“Our position remains that the Federal Government owes Nigerians a categorical explanation about what truly happened,” the ADC said in a statement by its spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi. “As an opposition political party, our interest remains the stability of our country and our democracy. In light of developments in Chad and the Sahel States, we are gravely concerned.”