The House of Representatives officially approved the appointment of Olufemi Oluyede as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) on Thursday.
Although the constitution does not require the House of Representatives to confirm appointments, the lawmakers endorsed a report from their ad-hoc committee regarding the confirmation and screening of the Acting Chief of Army Staff, thereby affirming Lieutenant General Oluyede’s appointment as the Chief of Army Staff.
In presenting the report, the committee’s Chairman, Babajimi Benson, stated that Lt. Gen. Oluyede had met all necessary qualifications.
It could be recalled that President Bola Tinubu appointed Oluyede to serve in an acting role in October due to the illness of former army chief Taoreed Lagbaja.
Lagbaja subsequently passed away on November 5 and has been laid to rest.
Following this, the president communicated with the National Assembly, requesting the confirmation of Oluyede as the permanent army chief, highlighting his dedication to the nation’s security.
On Wednesday, Oluyede presented himself before the House of Representatives Joint Committee on Defence and Army, assuring that he would address the country’s security issues if his appointment is ratified.
Accompanied by top military officials and the Chief of Defence Staff Christopher Musa, Oluyede told the lawmakers he was “honoured this evening to be considered worthy to play a part in these efforts [to fight insecurity) and I look forward to contributing my utmost best by working with the National Assembly and other stakeholders in bringing lasting peace to the length and breadth of our dear country Nigeria”.
“In the past five years or thereabout, I have operated at the senior operational and management levels of the Nigerian Army and I have somewhat been part of the running of the service in its entirety,” he said.
“Thus, I cannot completely distance myself from the successes or setbacks of our great army in the past couple of years. However, I see my nomination as the Chief of Army Staff as a privileged opportunity to be in the driver’s seat and bring about more positive changes to the Nigerian Army to enable it to fulfil its
constitutional responsibilities.
“Thus, if confirmed by this joint committee and given the common mandate to lead the Nigerian Army during this period, I promise to do my best to justify the confidence imposed in me by the appointing authority which is His Excellency Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the confirming authority which is you members of the National Assembly and the generality of Nigerians.”
