By Kolawole Ojebisi
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the rescheduling of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting following the demise of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Taoreed Lagbaja.
The President explained that a new date for the meeting will be announced later.
The FEC meeting was initially scheduled for today (Wednesday), but had to be postponed in honour of Late Lagbaja, who passed away on Tuesday night.
General Lagbaja aged 56 was appointed by Tinubu at the inception of his administration as the Chief of Army Staff.
He served in that capacity from June 19, 2023 till he breathed his last on November 5,2024.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy in a statement said President Tinubu has also “ordered flags to be flown at half-mask nationwide for seven days in honour of the departed general.”
Earlier Tinubu had expressed his heartfelt condolences to the Lagbaja family and the Nigerian Armed Forces over his demise.
Lagbaja is the second Chief of Army Staff that will die in office since Nigeria returned to civilian rule in 1999 but the third in history of Nigeria in general.
The first COAS to die in office in the Fourth Republic was Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, who was appointed in January 2021 to replace Tukur Buratai.
Attahiru’s appointment, alongside other service chiefs including Lucky Irabor (Chief of Defence Staff), Zubairu Gambo (Chief of Naval Staff), and Isiaka Amao (Chief of Air Staff), followed widespread calls for a leadership change amid escalating security concerns.
His reign was brief as he died just months into his tenure. Attairu died while on an official assignment from Abuja to Kaduna, when his aircraft encountered severe weather conditions and crashed, killing him and 10 members of his entourage.
