By Abiola Olawale
President Bola Tinubu’s sweeping change in the military high command is set to trigger a wave of retirements of over 50 Major Generals and their equivalents across the armed forces.
A national newspaper report while quoting sources maintained that the likely early retirements are expected in a bid to restore the traditional command structure and make way for the newly appointed Service Chiefs.
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The shake-up, announced on Friday, October 24, 2025, saw the appointment of new leadership for the Army, Navy, and Air Force, with General Olufemi Oluyede replacing General Christopher Musa as the Chief of Defence Staff. Major-General W. Shaibu, Air Vice Marshal S.K. Aneke, and Rear Admiral I. Abbas were named the new Chiefs of Army, Air, and Naval Staff, respectively.
The New Diplomat reports that military tradition, particularly the Harmonized Terms and Conditions of Service (HTACOS), dictates that officers who were senior to the newly appointed Service Chiefs must proceed on mandatory retirement.
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This principle is crucial for maintaining a disciplined and efficient hierarchy, preventing a scenario where a newly appointed Service Chief is commanded by an officer senior in rank or date of commission.
​Industry analysts confirm that this protocol will inevitably lead to the compulsory retirement of dozens of Generals, Air Marshals, and Rear Admirals who are considered to be in the same or superior standing to the new heads of their respective services.
The new service chiefs, who are members of Course 40 of the Nigerian Defence Academy, will replace their predecessors who are members of Course 39, including the new Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede.
By this appointment, generals from Course 39 and some from Course 40 across the services will have to retire from their positions, as they are not expected to salute their juniors who have now been elevated above them.
Members of Course 39 are still in active service, occupying strategic positions such as Principal Staff Officers (PSOs) at the Service Headquarters and Commanders of tri-service institutes.
Meanwhile, the decision of Tinubu to sack the service chiefs has begun to generate a barrage of reactions.
The changes also came a few days after widespread rumours of an attempted coup to unseat Tinubu surfaced in the media.
Although the Defence Headquarters has denied it, saying there was no such attempt.
