Get Guardian on GoogleThe House of Representatives will on Wednesday screen the newly appointed service chiefs following a request from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for legislative confirmation, in line with the provisions of the Armed Forces Act.
Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, read two separate letters from the President during plenary on Wednesday, seeking the confirmation of the Chief of Defence Staff and other service chiefs.In the correspondence, President Tinubu said his request was in compliance with Section 18(1) of the Armed Forces Act, Cap A20, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and urged the House to consider the nominations expeditiously.
The nominees are Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede as Chief of Defence Staff, Major General W. Shaibu as Chief of Army Staff, Rear Admiral I. Abbas as Chief of Naval Staff, and Air Vice Marshal S.K. Aneke as Chief of Air Staff.
The letters, signed by the President, were referred to a special committee constituted by the House to conduct the screening exercise.The committee, chaired by the Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, also includes the chairmen and deputy chairmen of the Committees on Army, Navy, and Air Force.
Abbas directed the committee to commence the screening immediately after Wednesday’s plenary, noting that a similar confirmation exercise was ongoing at the Senate.“In view of the urgency of this assignment and in line with the concurrent exercise being undertaken by the Senate, the committee is directed to commence the screening immediately after today’s plenary sitting,” the Speaker said.
President Tinubu had, on October 24, 2025, announced the appointment of the new service chiefs, describing the move as part of efforts to strengthen the national security architecture.
