News
Army, Navy, Air Force promote hundreds of senior officers
The Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force have promoted hundreds of their senior officers.
The Air Force Council approved the promotion of 19 Air Vice Marshals (AVMs) and 33 Air Commodores (Air Cdres) in the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).
The Navy Board on its part approved the promotion of 146 senior officers to various ranks in the Nigerian Navy. The board promoted 24 Commodores to the rank of Rear Admiral, 26 Captains to the rank of Commodore, and 96 Commanders promoted to the rank of Captain.
Similarly, the Army Council approved the promotion of senior officers to the next ranks of Major General and Brigadier General, respectively. The council promoted 35 Brigadier Generals to the rank of Major General, while 73 Colonels were also elevated to the rank of Brigadier General.
The Air Force in a statement by its spokesman, Air Commodore Olusola Akinboyewa, yesterday said the newly promoted officers had demonstrated exceptional leadership, professional competence, and dedication to duty in various operational and administrative roles, to earn the elevation.
The statement said: “Those elevated to AVM are: Osichinaka Ubadike, Olusola Akinboyewa, Olasunkanmi Abu, Yohanna Katabiya, Nosiru Folaji, David Pwajok, Albert Bot, Ibitayo Ajiboye, Mikail Abdulraheem, Kennedy Mataluwo, and Gbolahan Oremosu.
“Others are Ayodele Hanidu, Mohammed Omar, Atang Sambo, Jibrin Usman, Ernest Owai, Adindu Ekwuribe, Garuba Bello, and Muhammed Isah.”
Officers promoted to Air Commodore, according to the statement, include Abdulahi Abu, Sani Ma’aji, Olamiju Obasa, Eyo Benson, Bashiru Amunemi, Nuhu Hassan, Oluwasegun Okeniyi, Abang Oyong, Eze Onu, Folarin Agbebi, Mohammed Aliyu, and Muzamil Muhammed.
Other officers elevated to Air Commodore are Gp Capts Ibrahim Musa, Nkechi Esionye-Uzodinma, Rapheal Garba, Daniel Komo, Eric Kpokpogri, Bature Usman, Adebunmi Ola, and Dooyum Laha. Also promoted are Gp Capts Bello Argungu, Bello Aliyu, Ahmed Saidu, Isiaka Yakubu, Abba Muhammed, Olusoji Olarenwaju, Joshua Nalazai, Kingsley Obi, Hafsat Ali, Ademola Adejimi, Abdullahi Abubakar, Ayuba Abubakar, and Mustapha Elkhojah.
Also providing details about the promotion of its officers, Navy’s spokesman Commodore Aiwuyor Aliu-Adams, yesterday said the Navy Board released the promotion on Thursday December 19.
The newly promoted Rear Admirals, according to the statement are: Rear Admiral Ibrahim Mohammed-Katsina, Suleman Dahun, Gideon Jinjirim Kachim, Abolade Olanrele Ogunleye, Seminu Adisa Adepegba, Bob-Manuel Kokoete Effiong, Yusuf Sani Idris, Danjuma Mohammed Ndanusa, Ifeanyi Chidi Okpala, Mushin Yahaya Abba, and Victor Dabess Choji.
Other are Vincent Burabari Gbaranwi, Madumom Ide, Desmond Okechukwu Igbo, Kolawale Olumide Oguntuga, Adedokun John Siyanbade, Raheem Taofeek, Kabiru Tanimu, Bai Haruna Sabo, Jonathan Ojone Ajodo, Paul Efe-Oghene, Musliu Olatokunbo Yussuff, Abiodun Alade and Samuel Innocent Ngatuwa.
“The newly promoted Commodores are Mohammed Ahmed Abdullahi, Kabir Umar Rabiu, Bashir Abubakar, Olayinka Ayodele Aliu, Uche Aneke, Temitope Adeshola Bamidele, Ekuma Raphael Ekuma, Nsikan Friday, Ibrahim Ari Gwaska, Maksum Abdullahi Mohammed, Mutalib Ibikunle Raji, Murtala Aminu Rogo, Umar Saidu, Aminu Shehu, Mohammed Saghir Shettima, Jelani Umar, Olusegun Abiodun Awofe, Manga Salisu Danjuma, Mohammed Auwal Jibrilla, Adamu Mohammed Mohammed, Kelechi Kingsley Ogbonna, Makanjuola Yakub Olowu, Saidu Sulaiman, Yahaya Jaja Muhammed, Sylvester Kennedy Ogogo and Babatunde Usman Quadri,” the statement said.
Announcing the promotion of its officers yesterday, Army spokesman, Maj.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, in a press statement said “those promoted to the rank of Major General, according to the statement are: Brig Gen A Garba Acting Provost Marshal Nigerian Army, Brig Gen UM Alkali Deputy Chief of Administration, Directorate of Veteran Affairs (Army), Brig Gen AGL Haruna, Acting General Officer Commanding 7 Division and Commander Sector 1 North East Operation HADIN KAI, Brig Gen IA Ajose Acting General Officer Commanding 8 Division and Commander Sector 2 North West Operation FANSAN YAMA, Brig General NB Ebulue Headquarters Nigerian Army Heritage and Future Centre, Brig Gen LG Lepdung Commander Operation WHIRL STROKE, Brig Gen OA Awolo, Director Military Training Nigerian Defence Academy, Brig Gen UG Ogeleka Commander Nigerian Army Space Command, Brig Gen OA Fadairo Commander 12 Brigade, Brig Gen OD Williams Commander 22 Brigade , Brig Gen JR Lar Commander 32 Brigade, Brig Gen AG Mahmuda Commandant Warrant Officer Academy, Brig Gen VD Beryo Commander Nigerian Army Special Forces School, Brig Gen AOD Okoro Director Army Headquarters Department of Special Services and Programmes, Brig Gen SO Adejimi Director Movement Army Headquarters Department of Army Logistics, Brig Gen TT Sidick Director of Finance Nigerian Defence Academy, Brig Gen MCE Ejike Commander Sector 2 Joint Task Force North East Operation HADIN KAI, Brig Gen MF Babayo Commander Sector 3 North East Joint Task Force Operation HADIN KAI, Brig Gen H Yanet Commander 51 Signal Brigade and Brig Gen MK Gara Army Headquarters Department of Training.”
Others promoted to the rank of Major General are Brig Gen BP Koughna Deputy Chief of Military Affairs, Army Headquarters Department of Civil Military Affairs, Brig Gen I Otu Nigerian Army Heritage and Future Centre, Brig Gen AO Adegbite Headquarters Nigerian Army Corps of Supply and Transport, Brig Gen IE Ekpeyong Headquarters Nigerian Army Corps of Engineers, Brig Gen AA Idris Army Headquarters Department of Army Standards and Evaluation, Brig Gen SA Gumel Nigerian Army Resource Centre Strategic Management and Policy Studies, Brig Gen MT Jinadu Commander 82 Division Ordnance Services, Brig Gen SA Jimoh Deputy Director Tender Board Department of Procurement, and Brig Gen UT Opuene Deputy Director Policy and Plans Defence Intelligence Agency, among others.
Officers promoted from the rank of Colonel to Brigadier General are Col SM Iliya Commander 43 Engineers Brigade, Col O Igwe Commander 78 Supply and Transport, Col NE Udofia Headquarters Nigerian Army Electrical Mechanical Engineers, Col UR Okoroji Commander 404 Engineers Brigade, Col GS Oyinwola Army Headquarters Department of Military Secretary, Col S Ahmadu Defence Intelligence Agency, Col CI Nwonyi Commander 81 Division Provost Group, Col AS Aliyu Commander 1 Division Military Intelligence, Col T Garba Commander 77 Supply and Transport Brigade, Col K Imam Commander Army Headquarters Garrison Ordinance Services, Col NS Onuchukwu Chief Medical Director 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Col A Musa Commander 108 Division Equipment Support, Col DM Baba Office of the National Security Adviser, Col OA Obochi Defence Headquarters, Col PAJ Ebuk Commander 1 Division Supply and Transport, Col IP Omoke Office of the COAS Directorate of Procurement and Col P Elayo Headquarers Department of Space Administration.
Others elevated to the rank of Brigadier General are Col NI Abdullahi Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Col JC Mbanefo Army War College Nigeria, Col IO Amah Department of Operations Defence Headquarters, Col M Jimoh Defence Headquarters Garrison, Col TA Ayoola Army Headquarters Department of Army Operations, Col SA Jimoh Office of the Chief of Army Staff Department of Procurement, Col OC Ameni 103 Division Equipment Support, Col OU Okwuosa 2 Division Medical Hospital and Services, Col AO Odubiyi Armed Forces Command and Staff College, and Col NE Udofia Headquarters Nigerian Army Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, among others.
Customs lifts 4,291 officers; confirms DCG, 8 ACGs
The Nigeria Customs Service Board (NCSB), at its 61st regular meeting held during the week promoted 4,291 senior officers and confirmed the appointment of one Deputy Comptroller General (DCG) and eight Assistant Comptrollers General (ACGs).
The occasion was chaired by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun.
The newly confirmed Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Management Team members according to the statement issued by its National spokesman, CSC Abdullahi Maiwada include, DCG S Chiroma (North-East) and ACGs ZM Gaji (North-East), OA Adebakin (South-West), GM Omale (North-Central), MS Yusuf (North-Central), DA Nnadi (South-East), HK Ejibunu (North-Central), and D Hassan (North-East).
Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori was absent when the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) met in Abuja on Saturday night.
The meeting was to welcome new entrants into the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), but Oborevwori, who recently teamed up with the party, did not attend.
Oborevwori, who swept to victory in 2023 under the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), however, dumped the party earlier in the week, citing several factors.
The governor, his predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa, and the entire PDP in the South-South state said they are collapsing their structure in the leading APC, which they argue serves as a better platform for the oil-rich state.
Other persons who attended the meeting include Senator Ned Nwoko, who represents Delta North; the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo; a former Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege; APC scribe, Felix Morka; a former governorship candidate in Delta State, Great Ogboru, and other members of the National Assembly.
Saturday’s meeting was held at the Imo Governors’ Lodge in the nation’s capital.
The recent wave of defections from the PDP to the APC has stirred debates among observers, politicians, and Nigerians alike.
With Okowa, a ranking member of the PDP who was the party’s vice presidential candidate in the 2023 election, joining APC, analysts argue that the most recent defections are a big blow to the main opposition party’s move to retake power in 2027.
But some PDP chieftains, including Bode George, former Senate President Bukola Saraki, and ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, are unmoved by the development.
They say the party would bounce back stronger ahead of the next general elections.
“What impact has the APC, as a government, given to the people? There is anger in the land. What do you think they are going to do there, if not for personal embellishment?” George, a former Ondo State military governor, said on Friday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today.
“The people of Delta are naturally PDP members. They know the kind of positive impact they enjoyed under the PDP national government. So, if you now decide to go, we wish you the best of luck. We’ve seen it before—those who trooped out eventually came back, because they’re heading into an organisation that is so personally owned.
CREDIT: Channels Television
The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced that Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu, Enugu State, will reopen for flight operations on Monday, 28th April 2025, following the completion of emergency runway repairs.
On April 18th, 2025, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) announced that, due to a sudden and significant rupture in the asphalt surface at a critical section of the runway, the runway would be shut down for emergency repairs.
According to a statement by Mrs. Obiageli Orah, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, work was scheduled to begin on April 22nd and conclude before reopening on May 6th, 2025. However, rehabilitation works on the runway have been completed earlier than anticipated, and the runway has been cleared for landings and takeoffs by the engineers working with FAAN.
“FAAN appreciates all airport users and stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation during this time. The Authority sincerely apologises for the inconvenience but assures the public that all actions were taken in the interest of safety,” the statement read.
Pastor Chris Oyakhilome of LoveWorld Incorporated has claimed — without proof — that the COVID-19 vaccine was responsible for the death of Pope Francis.
In a video of a programme held on Thursday, which has since gone viral on YouTube, Oyakhilome alleged that the late Pope had aligned himself with “globalists” by promoting COVID-19 vaccines, a decision he said ultimately led to his death.
“I pointed it out during your LoveWorld Specials,” Oyakhilome said.
“While he was trying to encourage the world to take the vaccines, he stated that if Jesus were here, he would have taken the vaccine, and I found that very insulting.”
The televangelist went further to claim that the Pope’s stroke, reported as the immediate cause of death, was a result of blood clots triggered by the vaccine. Speaking to his congregation, Oyakhilome asked a medical doctor present whether a blood clot could cause a stroke. After receiving an affirmative response, he asserted: “The vaccine killed the Pope.”
“Blood clots is one of the most common causes of death from the vaccine. He’s not the only one. Many of them who became ill will not tell you. No one is going to tell you he died as a result of the vaccine. I warned you. I warned the world about taking those mRNA vaccines. No vaccine is good, not one of them, and they have never worked; it’s always been a deception,” said Oyakhilome.
“They have these people dying, they won’t tell you the cause. They dress it up. They get sick and they can’t be cured. They get sick and sick and worse and worse until it kills them. For some, very quickly. They call it sudden death syndrome. So, just remember that I warned you.
“This was a very healthy pope, and I told you that once that substance is inside your body, it can’t leave, it doesn’t go away. They have no scientific way to remove it because they never planned to remove it. It was planned for death, to kill as many people around the world. I feel pained that a pope like that would have his life cut short. And many around the world may not know what led to it but I have told you what led to it. It was the vaccine.”
This is not the first time Pastor Oyakhilome has made unsubstantiated claims about vaccines. Since 2020, he has consistently propagated misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, despite overwhelming scientific evidence proving their safety and effectiveness.
MEDICAL FACTS AND OFFICIAL STATEMENTS
Contrary to Oyakhilome’s assertions, official information from the Vatican states that Pope Francis was admitted to the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital after battling bronchitis for several days. His health deteriorated with a diagnosis of bilateral pneumonia on February 18.
After 38 days of hospital care, the Pope returned to his Vatican residence at Casa Santa Marta, where he died following a stroke and subsequent irreversible cardiac arrest.
The Vatican, in a statement released Monday, confirmed that Pope Francis died of a cerebral stroke and heart failure.
It is also publicly known that in his youth, Pope Francis underwent surgery to remove part of a lung damaged by a severe respiratory infection, a factor that contributed to his declining health in later years.
In 2021, he was hospitalised for 10 days after intestinal surgery. He was again hospitalised in 2023 for bronchitis treatment and later for abdominal surgery to remove scar tissue and repair a hernia.
OYAKHILOME’S HISTORY OF FALSE CLAIMS
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Oyakhilome has repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims. In 2020, he alleged that the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria was orchestrated to install 5G technology in Abuja and Lagos.
“The Federal Government was pushed to lockdown Abuja and Lagos specifically because of 5G,” he said.
“What killed people in Wuhan, China, was not the virus but the 5G.”
Oyakhilome also dismissed the use of face masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19, claiming it was political rather than scientific. He said, “Wearing [masks] is politics, it’s okay. But no one should lie to us [that] it’s science… In fact, scientifically, it’s dangerous to health.”
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