Nigerians were on Friday, October 24, 2025 jolted by the news of a major shake-up in the hierarchy of the armed forces when President Bola Tinubu approved sweeping changes to the service chiefs.
The overhaul saw General Christopher Musa replaced as Chief of Defence Staff by Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, who until now served as Chief of Army Staff. Also affected were Major General Waidi Shaibu, appointed Chief of Army Staff; Air Vice Marshal S.K. Aneke, named Chief of Air Staff; and Rear Admiral Idi Abbas, who now heads the Nigerian Navy. Major General E.A.P. Undiendeye, however, retained his position as Chief of Defence Intelligence.
The Presidency said the move was intended “to strengthen Nigeria’s national security architecture and deepen professionalism, vigilance and unity within the armed forces.”
While the president’s action demonstrates decisiveness and the willingness to reposition the security establishment, it also comes with potential risks.
The timing of the shake-up amid rising insecurity and whispers of internal discontent in the military, has naturally drawn attention to what the development means for the nation’s stability and its long, bruising fight against insecurity.
Overhauling the top command structure of the military sends a powerful message of accountability and urgency, but it can also unsettle the delicate internal balance of the services. Usually the reordering of seniority will inevitably lead to the early retirement of many high-ranking officers. Already, there are reports that over 50 generals, and their equivalent, may have to exit the service following the elevation of their juniors.
The country has witnessed this pattern before, and each cycle of abrupt change tends to weaken institutional continuity just when steady leadership is most needed.
Also, when changes occur simultaneously across all branches, institutional memory is disrupted, and the ripple effects can cascade through the chain of command, affecting operations in the field.
Though the president’s decision to promote Oluyede, Shaibu, Aneke and Abbas marks a significant generational transition within the military. However, the transition must be carefully managed to prevent loss of morale and cohesion.
The Nigerian military, perhaps more than any other institution, thrives on discipline, hierarchy and loyalty. A shake-up of this scale can easily upset that equilibrium if the process is not anchored in transparency and meritocracy.
This newspaper strongly believes that Nigeria’s security problem cannot be solved by leadership changes alone. Under successive administrations, the country has seen frequent replacement of service chiefs, yet the outcomes have rarely matched expectations.
Under former President Muhammadu Buhari, for instance, the appointments of new service chiefs in 2021 were hailed as a turning point, but the optimism soon waned as insurgency, banditry and kidnappings persisted.
It is our view that without a fundamental shift in doctrine, accountability, and inter-agency collaboration, even the most capable officers will struggle to deliver different results within the same old structure.
We also note that this development comes at a time when morale among the rank and file needs rebuilding. The toll of years of counter-insurgency operations, poor welfare, and insufficient equipment has eroded public confidence in the armed forces’ capacity to protect citizens.
The new appointments must be viewed not just as a personnel reshuffle, but as a test of the administration’s larger security vision.
The new chiefs must, therefore, understand that their first responsibility is not only to the Commander-in-Chief but also to the Nigerian people who crave safety and stability. Nigerians must not only see soldiers in uniform; they must feel safer in their homes, on the highways, and in their communities.
To check the rising tide of insecurity across the country, it will be necessary to strengthen joint operations and intelligence sharing among the services.
Terrorism in the North-East, banditry in the North-West, separatist agitations in the South-East, and the growing menace of kidnapping-for-ransom in the North-Central and South-West all demand coordinated action.
This paper believes that fragmented approaches and jurisdictional rivalry among security agencies have, for too long, hampered the effectiveness of Nigeria’s response. The new service chiefs must demonstrate early that they can work as a unified command rather than isolated fiefdoms.
We suggest that the welfare and motivation of troops be treated as top priority. Soldiers deployed in conflict zones often face dire conditions, delayed allowances, and inadequate equipment. It is our belief that improving their welfare will directly enhance morale, discipline, and operational efficiency.
The country cannot afford unnecessary command gaps or policy reversals simply because of leadership transitions. The President, on his part, must provide consistent policy direction and adequate funding to ensure that the momentum of ongoing operations is not lost.
The National Security Adviser and the new Chiefs must also prioritise public trust. Insecurity thrives when citizens lose faith in government’s capacity to protect them. The armed forces must deliberately rebuild this trust by engaging more openly with communities, respecting human rights during operations, and ensuring that civilian casualties are reduced to the barest minimum. Military operations cannot succeed where citizens feel alienated or perceive the state as distant and unaccountable.
This paper further believes that the shake-up presents an opportunity to deepen civilian oversight of the military. Parliament and civil institutions must be more proactive in demanding transparency over defence spending and outcomes.
The president has taken a bold and politically risky step by changing the entire military command structure at once. It is our belief that this step must now be matched by strategic consistency, adequate support, and measurable performance benchmarks.
The new service chiefs must justify the confidence reposed in them by delivering the peace and security that Nigerians desperately deserve.
