By Ayomide Otitoju
President Bola Tinubu on Monday held a closed-door meeting with Nigeria’s newly appointed service chiefs at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, focusing on national security priorities and strategic defence coordination, the Presidency said.
Attendees included Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyode, Chief of Air Staff Air Vice Marshal Kelvin Aneke, Chief of Naval Staff Rear Admiral Idi Abbas, Chief of Defence Intelligence Major General E.A.P. Undiendeye, and Chief of Army Staff Major General Waidi Shaibu.
Sunday Dare, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, confirmed the meeting on X, noting that the discussions were part of the Federal Government’s broader efforts to strengthen the country’s national security architecture.
The gathering marked Tinubu’s first official engagement with his new military leadership team following a recent reshuffle. The President replaced General Christopher Musa with Oluyede, a former Chief of Army Staff, as Chief of Defence Staff, while retaining Undiendeye as Chief of Defence Intelligence.
“The changes in the hierarchy of the Service Chiefs are in furtherance of the Federal Government’s efforts to bolster national security,” Dare said.
The reshuffle has drawn criticism from opposition parties. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) called on President Tinubu to provide a clear explanation for the move. “Our position remains that the Federal Government owes Nigerians a categorical explanation about what truly happened,” ADC spokesman Bolaji Abdullahi said, citing concerns over regional security developments in Chad and the Sahel.
The meeting underscores Tinubu’s intent to coordinate closely with his top military leadership amid ongoing security challenges across the country.
